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OR  CINCINNATI  AS  IT  THEN  APPEARED 


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m+memoRiam. 


CINCINNATI 


❖KSsSflS'i*'  4-1881^ 

QyjQ, - 3flLs£) 


CONTAINING 


ROCEEDINGS  OF  THE  MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION, 


EULOGIES  AT  MUSIC  HALL, 


AND 


Biographical  Sketches  of  Many  Distinguished 

Citizens  of  Cincinnati. 


cp 

$ 

eAs 


VOLUME  I. 


CINCINNATI: 

A.  E.  JONES,  PUBLISHER. 
1881. 


O 


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Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1881,  by 

A.  E.  JONES, 

In  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


4s-  PRINTED  AT  TUB  4a 
WESTERN  METHODIST  BOOK  CONCERN,^ 
'T  CINCINNATI.  'T' 


‘P0.077/7J 
CHi  ' 


-rPuBLISbGR’?  Prgfsgg^- 


In  presenting  the  history  and  proceedings  of  the  Citizens’ 
Memorial  Association  to  t lie  public,  the  Publisher  and  Editor 

m. 

deems  it  due  to  himself  and  the  Association  to  state  that  the 
work  has  been  delayed  much  beyond  the  time  he  proposed  to 
issue  it,  from  the  fact  that  many  of  the  Biographical  Sketches 
were  not  placed  in  his  hands  until  the  latter  part  of  August, 
and  some  of  them  not  until  September,  necessitating  an  entire 
rearrangement,  in  many  instances,  of  the  work.  He  has,  how¬ 
ever,  endeavored  to  accommodate  all  those  who  desired  the  inser¬ 
tion  of  biographical  sketches  of  friends,  although  this,  with  the 
necessary  rearrangement  consequent  upon  such  delays,  has  been 
done  at  a  considerable  additional  expense*,  but  it  was  his  desire 
to  give  a  true  and  complete  history  in  detail  of  the  Association, 
from  its  inception  to  the  close  of  the  exercises  in  Music  Hall, 
adding  nothing  to,  nor  detracting  any  tiring  from,  the  proceed¬ 
ings  as  shown  by  the  records  kept  by  the  Secretary  of  the 
Association. 

Under  these  circumstances,  he  now  presents  it  in  the  best 
obtainable  form,  trusting  that  it  will  be  cordially  received,  as 
the  first  attempt  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  the  many  good 
and  valuable  citizens  who  have  passed  away,  and  form  but  the 
beginning  of  a  series  of  similar  publications  embalming  their 
lives  and  deeds  in  imperishable  form. 


Cincinnati,  September  4,  1881. 


0 


^InTRODUCTIOn^, 


This  book  is  a  tribute  of  respect  to  the  good  and  great  of 
Cincinnati.  As  Cincinncitus  left  his  plow  in  the  furrow  and 
hastened  to  the  call  of  the  Republic,  and  afterwards,  when  his 
mission  was  fulfilled,  received  for  centuries  the  plaudits  of  a 
grateful  people  who  annually  crowned  his  statue  with  bay 
leaves,  so  these  Cincinnati,  who  have  given  aid,  honor,  and 
glory  to  the  namesake  of  the  Society  of  the  Cincinnati,  are 

f 

remembered  and  honored  in  these  pages. 

A  few  years  ago  a  great  savan ,  one  of  the  greatest  of  this 
or  any  other  age,  an  old  citizen  of  this  queen  of  cities,  went  to 
his  grave  with  few  mourners  here.  Those  few  wondered  at  the 
apathy  of  the  community,  which  had  been  honored  by  the  pres¬ 
ence  and  labors  of  Daniel  Vaughn,  but  permitted  him  to  be 
buried  in  silence,  without  honor.  The  learned  world  knew  him, 
and  bewailed  his  death.  We  were  mortified  at  the  fulfillment 
of  that  divine  adage,  “  A  prophet  is  not  without  honor  save  in 
his  own  country.”  Silently,  but  earnestly,  this  resolution  was 
formed  :  “  The  names  and  deeds  of  those  who  have  made  this 
the  great  city  shall  be  perpetuated.” 

George  Graham  was  at  last  gathered  like  a  ripe  sheaf, 
full  of  rich  grain,  into  the  eternal  granary.  Not  satisfied  to 
thresh  out  the  grain  and  consume  it,  casting  the  straw  to  the 
dung  heap,  it  was  suggested  that  here  was  a  good  sample  of  the 
product  of  our  city — producer  and  product — and  it  should  be 
preserved.  A  Graham  testimonial  was  proposed,  discussed,  and 
put  into  a  course  of  preparation.  •  It  grew  and  magnified. 
There  are  others  like  him  who  have  deserved  well  of  posterity. 


VI 


INTRODUCTION. 


Instead  of  an  in  memoriam  to  one  man  at  Melodeon  Hall,  as 
was  the  original  idea,  we  will  have  a  memorial  service  in  honor 
of  the  many  honorable  Cincinnati  dead,  at  Music  Hall.  Xot 
only  orators  and  poets,  but  musicians  and  artists,  may  join  in 
our  peans  of  praise.  The  liveliest,  loveliest,  mightiest  factor  in 
the  whole  body  politic — the  public  schools  of  the  city — shall 
take  part. 

To  resolve  is  to  do  with  the  Cincinnati.  The  project  be¬ 
came  an  accomplished  fact.  Three  hundred  of  the  best  singers 
in  the  Mood  ward  and  Hughes  High  Schools  were  put  in  train¬ 
ing.  The  music  was  new  and  impressively  appropriate.  It  is 
not  invidious  to  record  that  old  Woodward  gave  debut  to  a  new 
prima  donna ,  a  star  of  the  first  magnitude,  that  memorable  night 
of  May  30,  1881. 

The  vestibule  of  Springer  Hall  was  transformed  into  a  picture 
gallery.  Read  the  catalogue.  Imagine,  if  you  can,  the  many, 
many  thousands  of  the  living  recalling  the  memory  of  the 
heroic,  beloved,  glorious  dead  as  they  read  their  histories  in  the 
outlines  and  between  the  lines  of  their  portraits.  Hour  after 
hour  this  generation  communed  with  the  last.  Four  hundred  of 
the  best  of  the  dead,  whose  deeds  survive  them,  looked  down 
upon  a  host  of  loving,  emulating  admirers.  It  was  Decoration 
Day.  The  flowers  were  strewn  upon  the  graves  of  the  soldiers. 
Hearts  were  softened  by  precious  memories.  The  mourners 
and  decorators  had  sanctified  themselves  for  this  homage.  Slow 
and  hard,  indeed,  was  the  task  of  drawing  the  people  from  the 
gallery  to  the  auditorium.  But  when  they  were  ushered  and 
seated,  arranged  in  the  aisles  and  passways,  the  sight  was  inspir¬ 
ing  enough  to  lift  the  orators  to  the  topmost  heights  of  elo¬ 
quence.  The  divine,  the  rabbi,  the  lawyer,  the  judge  of  the 
Supreme  Court  added  fervor,  faith,  learning,  and  wisdom  to  the 
proceedings.  The  grateful,  enthusiastic,  admiring  thousands, 
who  thronged  the  spacious  hall  and  lingered  in  the  long  gal¬ 
leries  and  wide  areas  that  memorable  night,  with  one  voice 


INTRODUCTION. 


VII 


r 

demanded  that  a  record  be  made  of  what  had  been  and  was  being 
done  to  keep  fresh  and  green  the  memories  of  their  ancestors. 
The  scene  may  be  repeated,  with  like  labor,  industry,  and  skill; 
but  if  it  ever  should  be,  and  we  should  not  be  there,  we  would 
feel  specially  grateful  to  him  who  should  so  describe  it,  and 
illustrate  his  description,  that  we  could  enjoy  it. 

The  text  of  these  pages  has  been  prepared  by  many  differ¬ 
ent  pens — in  some  instances  by  members  of  the  Publication 
Committee,  and  in  others  by  relatives  or  friends  of  the  subject. 

The  illustrations  are  mere  sample  and  suggestive  portraits. 
Many,  as  famous  as  those  whose  pictures  are  reproduced,  are 
omitted,  because  time,  space,  and  means  forbade  that  all  should 
be  placed  here,  although  they  deserve  it.  What  we  have  will 
be  a  precious  souvenir  to  those  who  cherish  the  faces,  names, 
and  deeds  of  a  useful  and  honorable  ancestry. 

But,  reader,  the  aim  and  object  of  this  enterprise  will  all  be 
lost  unless  you  learn  therefrom  some  mood  or  tense  in  the  infi- 
nite  conjugation  of  the  verb  “  To  do.’  ’  What  are  you  doing, 
what  can  you  do,  what  will  you  do  for  your  age  and  generation 
that,  after  you  are  laid  beneath  the  sod,  a  grateful  posterity  may 
hunt  up  your  picture  and  hang  it  up  among  those  of  others 
whose  achievements  have  made  them  worthy  of  emulation  and 
remembrance?  Will  your  children  and  your  neighbors’  chil¬ 
dren  repeat  your  name  and  recount  your  deeds  as  one  who  was 
not  “  born  to  die  ?” 


JAMES  R.  CHALLEN,  Chairman. 


i 


1 

♦ 


M 


^GGORGG  GRAfiSm* 


DIED — At  his  residence,  in  this  city,  March  i,  1881, 
at  6:30  o’clock,  George  Graham,  aged  eighty- 
three  years. 

The  following  admirable  sketch  of  the  life  and  public  serv¬ 
ices  of  Mr.  Graham  we  take  from  the  daily  Enquirer  of  March 
2,  1881  : 

Mr.  George  Graham  was  born  in  Stoyestown,  Somerset 
County,  Pennsylvania,  in  November,  1798.  He  was  the  son  of 
George  and  Elizabeth  Graham,  and  his  father  was  an  officer  in 
the  Pennsylvania  volunteers  in  the  War  of  1812.  Upon  one 
occasion  his  father  marched  a  regiment  to  the  defense  of  Black 
Pock,  when  an  attack  was  threatened  by  British  troops  in  Can¬ 
ada.  Young  George  accompanied  his  father,  acting  as  clerk, 
and  made  out  the  pay-rolls  of  the  soldiers,  and  other  papers  for 
the  governor  of  Pennsylvania.  Beturning  from  the  war,  he 
went  into  the  dry  goods  business  with  his  brother,  and  soon 
developed  that  sagacity  for  business  and  affairs  that  characterized 
his  after  career.  In  1816  he  and  his  brother  contracted  to  build 
the  first  turnpike  road  over  the  Alleghany  Mountains,  and  at 
the  same  time  entered  into  an  agreement  to  carry  goods  from 
Philadelphia  to  Pittsburg  in  ten  days,  a  trip  now  made  in  as 
many  hours. 

In  1822  he  visited  Cincinnati,  and  at  once  entered  into  busi¬ 
ness  copartnership  with  M.  P.  Cassilly  and  George  M.  Davis  in 
the  wholesale  hardware  business.  This  copartnership  lasted  only 


2 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


for  about  three  months,  as  disagreements  arose  which  induced 
Mr.  ^Graham  to  retire.  His  next  venture  was  to  supply  the 
troops  at  Prairie  du  Chein  and  Fort  Snelling  with  army  sup¬ 
plies.  In  the  following  year,  1823,  he  returned  to  Cincinnati, 
and  formed  a  partnership  with  C.  W.  Gazzam  in  the  general 
commission  and  steamboat  business,  and  agents  and  builders  of 
boats  in  the  Cincinnati  and  New  Orleans  trade.  •  The  enterprises, 
industries,  and  associations  that  from  this  time  until  yesterday 
he  was  connected  with,  organized,  managed,  and  carried  on  suc¬ 
cessfully,  are  numerous.  His  growth  was  part  and  parcel  of  the 
city’s  advance,  and  there  is  hardly  a  public  improvement  that 
he  was  not  at  some  time  or  in  some  way  connected  with.  He 
was  a  leading  mason,  and  as  early  as  1824  one  of  the  charter 
members  to  organize  the  Lafayette  Lodge,  to  receive  the  friend 
of  the  colonies  and  American  liberty  on  the  occasion  of  his  visit 
to  the  West.  A  year  later,  when  the  general  was  received,  he 
delivered  the  welcoming  address.  In  1827  he  had  taken  the 
thirty-second  degree  of  the  Scottish  Rite,  and  was  one  of  the 
seven  who  organized  the  Scottish  Rite  Consistory  in  this  city, 
which  now  numbers  seven  hundred  members. 

The  Cincinnati  Water-works  he  considered  as  his  child,  and 
it  was  his  custom  every  Sunday  to  visit  and  inspect  the  improve¬ 
ments  about  them.  In  1825  Samuel  W.  Davies  offered  to  the 
city  his  charter  from  the  State  for  supplying  the  city  with  water 
for  one  hundred  years,  together  with  ten  acres  of  ground  and 
all  his  improvements.  Davies  lacked  the  means  to  carry  on  the 
enterprise,  and  offered  it  to  the  city  for  about  twenty  thousand 
dollars.  They  rejected  the  offer  by  a  large  majority.  The  far¬ 
sighted  vision  of  George  Graham  saw  the  future  of  the  Queen 
City,  and,  in  company  with  John  P.  Foote,  Wm.  Green,  Davis 
B.  Howler,  and  Wm.  S.  Johnston,  Mr.  Graham  purchased  the 
charter,  etc.,  for  thirty  thousand  dollars.  At  five  different  times 
the  city  demanded  the  works,  or  a  price  to  be  fixed  upon  them, 
and  this  was  finally  done  at  a  sum  which  would  make  the  net 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION, 


3 


income  six  per  cent  on  the  purchase  money.  In  1839  the  net 
income  was  eighteen  thousand  dollars,  which  made  the  value 
three  hundred  thousand  dollars,  which  was  the  price  the  city 
paid.  To-day  the  establishment,  with  its  various  connections, 
pays  the  city  an  annual  interest  on  six  millions  of  dollars. 

Mr.  Graham  was  never  a  politician  in  the  common  parlance. 
He  was  a  public  man  in  that  he  favored  all  sorts  of  public 
improvements,  every  thing  to  develop  the  country  and  the  city 
that  he  loved.  Of  late  years  he  acted  with  the  Republican 

i 

party,  and  on  the  night  of  the  election  he  remained  up  all  night 
to  hear  the  news.  In  1829  he  was  elected  to  the  Legislature,  and 
was  at  once  given  a  position  on  the  finance  committee.  In  this 
capacity  he  assisted  in  the  examination  of  all  accounts  of  canal 
commissioners  for  the  construction  of  the  canals  of  the  State, 
and  was  the  means  of  having  adopted  improved  measures  for 
the  management  of  the  public  works.  During  the  session  he 
spent  much  time  in  hunting  up  frauds  in  the  treasury,  which 
were  of  several  years’  standing. 

He  may  justly  be  styled  the  parent  of  our  present  public- 
school  system.  He  took  great  pride  in  this,  and  frequently  spoke 
of  it,  no  subject  being  dearer  to  his  heart  than  the  education 
of  the  masses.  In  1832  he  was  elected  trustee  of  the  public 
schools,  and  his  energetic  hand  soon  appeared.  Many  flagrant 
abuses  existed,  which  he  soon  reformed,  and  he  prepared  a  code 
of  rules  for  the  government  of  pupils,  teachers,  and  parents, 
which  was  printed,  framed,  and  hung  in  each  of  the  houses. 
He  introduced  the  examination  of  the  scholars  at  the  end  of  the 
session,  and  Tised  to  march  at  the  head  of  a  procession  of  school¬ 
children  to  some  church  on  the  closing  day,  where  rewards  of 
merit  were  bestowed  by  the  mayor.  In  1834  he  applied  to  the 
city  council  for  funds  to  build  a  model  school -house,  large 
enough  to  contain  five  hundred  scholars.  The  council  proposed 
to  erect  a  wooden  one  of  two  stories,  with  steps  outside,  for 
$1,200.  This  did  not  please  Mr.  Trustee  Graham,  who  at  once 


4 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


rejected  it  as  not  good  enough.  He  adopted  his  own  plan 
of  brick  school-houses,  appointed  a  superintendent,  and  guar¬ 
anteed  payment  in  case  the  city  refused.  The  building  was 
completed  in  1834,  and  eight  others  on  a  similar  plan  at  once 
erected  in  the  various  wards,  with  funds  procured  on  city  bonds 
payable  twenty-five  years  from  date,  with  six  per  cent  interest. 
BUlit  here  should  be  mentioned  his  connection  with  the  Ohio 


Mechanics’  Institute,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the  charter  mem¬ 
bers,  and  for  several  vears,  with  John  P.  Foote  and  Calvin 
Fletcher,  paid  the  rent  of  a  suitable  building  until  the  present 
site  on  Sixth  and  Vine  was  secured,  and  by  the  exertions  of 
Miles  Greenwood  and  Marston  Allen  and  others  the  present 
magnificent  structure  erected,  free  from  debt,  thus  affording 
educational  facilities  to  apprentices  of  the  city  in  drawing  and 
mechanical  engineering. 

National  and  State  enterprises  always  commanded  his  share 

of  attention  and  study.  In  1838  he  was  elected  president  of 

the  Jeffersonville  Association,  a  company  composed  mainly  of 

Cincinnati  citizens,  in  1836,  to  build  up  and  extend  the  town 

of  Jeffersonville,  Indiana,  above  the  Falls  of  the  Ohio  River, 

% 

opposite  Louisville.  There  they  laid  off  a  tract  of  five  hundred 


and  forty  acres  into  lots ;  but  their  principal  object  was  to  secure 
the  building  of  a  spacious  canal  on  the  Indiana  side  of  the  river 
around  the  Falls.  Surveys  were  made  by  the  company  and  by 
Colonel  Long,  United  States  engineer.  By  these  surveys  it  was 
estimated  that  for  a  sum  less  than  $1,800,000  a  canal  of  eighty 
to  one  hundred  feet  wide,  with  locks  of  four  hundred  feet  in 
length,  could  be  constructed  to  pass  the  largest  class  of  boats. 
This  was  about  the  amount  that  was  required  to  enlarge  the 
Louisville  Canal.  Mr.  Graham,  in  the  interest  of  the  company, 
spent  much  time  in  Washington,  during  two  sessions  of  Con¬ 
gress,  trying  to  secure  aid  for  his  bill.  At  two  different  sessions 
the  Senate  passed  a  law  authorizing  the  construction  of  the 
canal ;  but  as  often  the  House,  having  a  preponderance  of 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


5 


Southern  members,  defeated  it,  considering  that  a  canal  in  a  free 
State  was  inimical.  Hence  the  Louisville  Canal  was  ordered,  at 

t 

a  cost  to  the  government  of  over  double  the  estimate  of  the  cost 
of  the  Indiana  Canal.  Had  this  canal  been  built  the  commerce 
of  the  river  would  have  had  two  canals,  and  avoided  the  great 
expense  that  the  enlargement  of  the  Louisville  Canal  incurred. 

In  1829,  in  connection  with  A.  Richards,  he  was  the  owner 
of  the  first  cotton-mill  in  Dayton,  and  at  the  same  time  carried 
on  a  large  foundry  for  building  cotton-mills  and  machinery. 
He  also  erected,  in  Dayton,  the  first  carpet-manufactory  west  of 
the  mountains.  In  1835  he  made  a  contract  to  make  machinery 
and  put  it  in  operation  for  a  company  of  Mexican  capitalists  to 
make  fine  cambric  muslins  in  the  Durango  district,  nine  hun¬ 
dred  miles  from  the  sea-coast.  The  machinery  had  to  be  trans¬ 
ported  on  the  backs  of  mules  that  carried  about  two  hundred 
pounds  apiece. 

In  1836  Mr.  Graham  and  other  citizens  armed  and  equipped 
a  body  of  troops  to  defend  Texas  against  the  threatened  invasion 
of  Santa  Anna.  These  troops,  with  a  company  from  Louisville, 
were  the  main  portion  of  the  army  who  fought  at  San  Jacinto 
under  the  leadership  of  Sherman  and  Houston,  captured  Santa 
Anna,  made  Texas  independent,  and  secured  its  admission  to 
the  Union. 

He  was  mainly  instrumental  in  the  construction  of  the  Cin¬ 
cinnati  and  Miamitown  pike,  now  known  as  Cincinnati  and 
Harrison,  which  he  macadamized  by  aid  of  steam  machinery. 

Mr.  Graham  was  also  instrumental  in  introducing  the  first 
steam  fire-engine  ever  used  in  the  United  States.  The  city  then 
had  a  volunteer  fire  department,  which  numbered  three  thousand 
men,  who  were  governed  by  their  own  laws,  and  whose  pro¬ 
ceedings  were  sometimes  marred  by  lack  ot  harmony.  Graham 
at  that  time  was  not  only  a  fireman  who  attended  every  fire,  but 
chairman  of  the  finance  committee  of  the  city,  council,  and 
member  of  the  committee  of  the  fire  department.  He,  with 


6 


MEMORIAL  ASSOC  I  A  TION. 


others,  suggested  the  application  of  steam  fire-engines,  and  sug¬ 
gested  that  A.  13.  &  E.  Lat'ta  be  employed  to  make  one  for 
experimental  purposes.  The  experimental  engine  was  not  to 
exceed  in  cost  $4,000,  and  if  the  experiment  was  successful  the 
city  was  to  purchase  the  machine.  The  engine  was  built,  and 
a  public  trial  ensued,  at  which  George  Graham,  Miles  Green¬ 
wood,  and  Joe  Ross  officiated  as  masters  of  ceremonies.  The 
engine  raised  steam  in  five  minutes,  and  threw  water  fifty  feet 
through  an  inch  nozzle.  At  the  next  meeting  of  the  council 
the  requisite  $5,000  was  voted  for  the  purchase  of  the  first  steam 
fire-engine  in  the  United  States. 

His  prudence  was  well  illustrated  by  his  action  when  chair¬ 
man  of  the  finance  committee,  when  he  was  ordered  to  issue 
$1,000,000  worth  of  city  bonds  to  certain  railroads  terminating 
in  the  city.  This  was  in  accordance  with  a  vote  passed  by  the 
citizens  the  previous  year,  in  which  security  for  the  interest  was 
required,  but  the  council  had  failed  to  compel  security.  Under 
the  circumstances,  the  chairman  refused  to  issue  the  bonds,  and 
ordered  the  repeal  of  the  ordinance,  and  a  new  ordinance  was 
passed  compelling  roads  to  pay  interest  and  give  ample  security 
to  the  city  before  they  received  the  city  bonds.  The  next  year 
the  new  council,  with  Thomas  Edwards,  president,  repealed  the 
ordinance  requiring  security,  and  the  railroad  companies  were 
allowed  to  substitute  their  stock.  Thus  $1,000,000  was  lost  to 
the  city. 

Mr.  Graham’s  acquirements  were  varied.  Of  a  practical  turn 
of  mind,  he  had  a  great  taste  for  all  scientific  pursuits.  He  was 
a  charter  member  of  the  Cincinnati  Horticultural  Society,  and 
elected  president  in  1870.  At  the  great  Sanitary  Fair,  in  1863, 
he  was  the  most  active  and  untiring  of  all  the  officials.  He 
was  chairman  of  the  Wine-Growers’  Association,  chairman  of 
Autograph  and  Relic  Department,  War  Memorials,  Curiosities, 
etc.  He  was  the  author  of  one-half  of  the  578-page  report,  and 
personally  unpacked,  arranged,  and  shipped  the  twelve  hundred 


7 


f 

MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 

specimens  there  exhibited.  In  1867  he  visited  Europe,  attend¬ 
ing  the  Paris  Exhibition.  He  was  president  of  the  Academy  of 
Natural  Sciences,  president  of  State  Natural  History  Society, 
and  for  several  years  trustee  of  Woodward  and  Hughes  High 
Schools.  He  was  one  of  the  early  trustees  of  the  Cincinnati 

i  * 

College,  and  continued  so  for  forty  years.  He  visited  San  Fran¬ 
cisco  as  one  of  a  congratulatory  committee  on  the  completion  of 
the  Pacific  Railroad  in  1869. 

His  habits  were  peculiar.  Methodical  and  self-reliant  to  the 
last,  he  never  would  admit  that  he  was  sick.  When  lie  did  not 
appear  at  breakfast  Monday  morning,  some  friends  repaired  to 
his  room,  and  found  him  not  arisen.  “  Why,  you  are  sick,  Mr. 
Graham?”  elclaimed  one.  “No,  I’m  not.  I ’m  as  well  as  I  ever 
was,”  and  made  an  effort  to  rise.  His  weakness  was  apparent. 
“You  are  only  under  the  weather  a  little,  Mr.  Graham,”  said 
another.  “Yes,  yes,”  said  the  old  man,  “that’s  all.”  He  be¬ 
came  unconscious,  and  gradually  wasted,  and  passed  gently  away 
at  half-past  six  in  the  evening.  He  rarely  wore  an  overcoat, 
and  would  not  unless  compelled  to.  Flannel  he  never  wore. 
Pie  was  fond  of  amusements — went  to  see  Bernhardt,  attended 
the  Opera  Festival,  and  Sunday  took  in  the  whale,  which  he 
pronounced  a  great  curiosity.  He  was  fond  of  books,  and  always 
attended  book  auctions,  where  he  usually  purchased  any  thing 
and  every  thing  relative  to  early  American  history  or  that  of  Cin- 
cihnati.  Davies’  trade  sales  he  rarely  missed,  and  Perry  &  Mor¬ 
ton’s  and  Wiswell’s  picture  gallery  were  his  favorite  daily  resorts. 

He  passes  away,  living  near  and  about  the  same  time  that 
Madame  “Trollope’s  Folly”  fades  out  of  sight.  He  is  an  old 
landmark.  By  far  the  youngest  old  man  of  the  city.  He  mar¬ 
ried,  in  1827,  Miss  Ellen  F.  Murdock,  of  Urbana,  Ohio.  She 
had  by  him  five  children,  two  of  whom  are  living,  Robert  M. 
Graham,  and  Lavinia  M.,  the  wife  of  John  M.  Newton,  the 
accomplished  librarian  of  the  Mercantile  Library.  His  family 
were  with  him,  and  his  death  was  painless. 


8 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


^FiineKftL  $gitog$*> 


The  funeral  services  of  Mr.  Graham  occured  on  the  15th  of 
March,  from  the  Swedenborgian  church,  corner  of  Fourth  and 
John  Streets.  The  commodious  temple  of  God  was  well  filled 
with  sorrowing  friends,  and  among  those  gathered  there  were 
many  aged  citizens,  well  acquainted  with  the  noble  career  of  the 
deceased.  The  obsequies  began  at  half-past  two  o’clock,  and  were 
conducted  by  the  Rev.  John  Goddard,  pastor  of  the  Church. 
The  remains  reposed  in  a  rich,  black  casket,  on  which  was  a 
silver  plate  bearing  the  inscription: 

- - - 

(FJeorcjc  CyraJiam. 

cSo^'H-  SJo'uemh c-t  25,  1798. 

‘Dich  9Fa^ch  1,  1881. 

On  the  lid  of  the  casket  rested  a  fern  spray,  a  sheaf  of  pure 
white  wheat  and  a  lovely  wreath  of  calla  lilies.  The  gentlemen 
who  performed  the  last  tribute  of  respect  as  pall-bearers  were 
Julius  Dexter,  A.  T.  Goshorn,  Lewis  J.  Cist,  John  D.  Caldwell, 
and  Henry  C.  Urner. 

The  Rev.  Mr.  Goddard  read  a  short  passage  of  the  selection, 
u  I  am  the  resurrection  and  the  life,”  and  announced  the  hymn, 
“  Savior,  Strengthen  Me,”  which  was  sweetly  and  touchingly 
sung  by  the  choir.  The  reverend  gentleman  again  read  some 
appropriate  passages  of  Scripture,  among  which  was  the  Twenty- 
third  Psalm.  He  then  read  the  leading  doctrines  of  the  Swe¬ 
denborgian  Church,  in  which  the  revered  dead  believed.  The 
learned  clergyman  then  feelingly  delivered  the  following  fare¬ 
well  discourse  : 

We  gather  in  memory  of  one  who  is  so  identified  with  the 
growth  and  history  of  our  city.  Coming  down  to  us  from  a 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


9 


former  generation,  those  now  in  the  prime  of  life  only  know  by 
tradition  of  the  prominent  part  in  public  affairs  once  taken  by 
our  aged  friend  in  his  season  of  strength  and  activity.  By  rea¬ 
son  of  unusual  vitality,  a  well-balanced  temperament,  and  a  well- 
ordered  life,  his  days  have  been  extended  far  beyond  the  allotted 
time  of  man ;  nor  have  his  fourscore  years  been,  to  the  casual 
observer,  what  the  prayers  of  Moses  declare  them  to  be,  and 
which,  under  less  favorable  combinations,  they  are  apt  to  be — 
years  of  labor  and.  sorrow.  As  he  has  gone  in  and  out  among 
us,  we  have  not  been  impressed  with  the  thought  of  his  unusual 
age.  He  has  not  been  burdened  with  the  weight  of  years.  He 
has  been  like  the  oak,  inflexible,  unyielding,  firm  to  the  end, 
though  he  loved  to  dwell,  as  is  the  habit  of  those  who  have  out¬ 
lived  their  generation,  upon  the  scenes  of  the  past,  with  a  fond¬ 
ness  which  comes  only  as  their  distance  grows  great.  He  was 
always  keenly  alive  to  the  affairs  of  the  present ;  and  he  showed 
his  freedom  from  one  common  infirmity  of  years  by  his  full  rec¬ 
ognition  of  the  fact  that  the  past  of  this  community  and  this 
country,  compared  with  the  present,  was  the  day  of  small  things. 
While  he  commended  and  dwelt  with  pardonable  pride  upon  the 
integrity  of  public  men  in  years  gone  by,  he  did  not  forget  that 
the  temptations  of  trades  are  greater  than  they  were  in  the  olden 
time.  He  loved  the  simplicity  and  honesty  of  the  past;  he  re¬ 
membered  the  unsettledness  of  our  modern  system  of  govern¬ 
ment,  which,  perhaps,  owed  its  past  successes  more  to  favorable 
circumstances  than  to  the  then  superior  virtue  in  the  mass  of  the 
people.  While  his  mind  dwelt  most  on  practical  things,  it  was 
a  storehouse  of  varied  information.  He  loved  progress.  Fond 
of  the  works  of  man,  he  was  also  fond  of  the  works  of  God  in 
nature.  What  an  active  and  busy  life  he  has  led! — a  life  which 
called  into  play  his  prominent  qualities  of  perseverance,  self- 
reliance,  force,  and  resistance  to  obstacles. 

Mr.  Goddard  next  went  on  and  read  a  sketch  of  the  life  of 
the  deceased,  briefly  mentioning  the  various  public  and  private 
enterprises  with  which  Mr.  Graham,  when  alive,  was  connected, 
and  concluded  by  saying : 

Through  all  this  long  and  active  public  life  I  believe  it 

is  universally  conceded  that  his  course  has  been  dictated  by 

2 


10 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


unswerving  principle,  and  that  he  lias  been  keenly  watchful  of 
the  interests  of  others  which  have  been  committed  to  his  charge. 
The  hearts  of  men  are  known  only  to  the  Searcher  of  hearts ; 
but  in  the  matter  of  integrity  and  justice  we  believe  lie  has  ful¬ 
filled  the  divine  law,  “  As  ye  would  that  men  should  do  to  you, 
do  ye  even  so  to  them.” 

An  eloquent  prayer  and  that  well-known  song  of  solemn 
beauty, 

“Jesus,  lover  of  my  soul,” 
closed  the  sad  exercises. 

Among  the  different  societies  represented  at  the  funeral,  of 
which  the  deceased  was  an  honored  member,  were  the  Cincin¬ 
nati  Horticultural  Society,  officers  and  directors  of  the  Ohio  Me¬ 
chanics’  Institute,  the  Pioneers’  Association,  the  Wine-growers’ 
Association,  Lafayette  Lodge  F.  and  A.  M.,  Cincinnati  Histor¬ 
ical  Society,  and  members  of  several  Masonic  lodges. 

An  opportunity  was  given  to  take  a  last  look  of  the  familiar 
features  of  the  beloved  dead,  and  hundreds  of  acquaintances  and 
friends  gazed  for  a  moment  on  the  peaceful,  tranquil  face. 

The  remains  were  conveyed  to  Spring  Grove  Cemetery,  and 
buried  in  the  family  lot. 

Another  star  in  the  firmament  of  Cincinnati’s  growth  and 
prosperity  has  been  laid  away  and  gathered  to  his  fathers. 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


11 


*3-pR0ceeDinGS  of  Public  Borneo 


Chamber  of  Commerce. 

On  the  6th  of  March  the  following  report  of  the  committee 
appointed  to  draw  up  a  memorial  on  the  late  George  Graham 
presented  the  following,  which  was  adopted : 

H.  C.  Urner,  President  Cincinnati  Chamber  of  Commerce: 

The  committee  appointed  to  give  expression  of  members  on 
the  death  of  the  late  George  Graham  report  as  follows : 

We  are  called  upon  to-day  to  make  record  of  the  death  of 
one  of  our  oldest  merchants — George  Graham,  an  honorary 
member  of  this  Chamber,  who  was  called  from  earth  to  the 
great  future  on  Tuesday,  March  1st,  at  evening,  aged  eighty- 
three  years. 

Before  any  of  the  present  generation  of  active  merchants 
had  finished  their  schoolboy  education,  Mr.  Graham  had  retired 
from  active  business. 

He  came  down  to  us  as  the  last  representative  of  the  mer¬ 
chant  of  olden  time  in  the  West,  who  was  not  a  mere  money- 

s  J 

getter,  blit  who  aspired  to  shape  the  destinies  of  peoples,  of 
States,  and  of  cities,  and  he  did  his  full  share. 

He  was  not  only  identified  with  every  great  improvement 
in  his  day  of  activity,  but  was  frequently  the  prime  mover  and 
intelligent  promoter  of  every  great  improvement  for  the  city’s 
welfare. 

The  water  supply  for  the  city,  our  Public  Schools,  in  connec¬ 
tion  with  Nathan  Guilford,  William  Greene,  and  others  of  their 
day,  the  Astronomical,  Historical,  Horticultural,  and  kindred 
associations,  especially  the  Mechanics’  Institute,  and  every  other 
good  work,  received  the  most  active  personal  support  at  his 
hands  during  many  years.  At  one  time  a  member  of  the  State 


12 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


Legislature,  at  another  a  member  of  our  City  Council,  where 
he  exerted  great  influence  to  benefit  the  city’s  finances. 

While  engaged  in  commerce  on  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi 
Rivers,  Mr.  Graham  took  an  active  part  in  efforts  to  induce  the 
United  States  Government  to  improve  the  navigation  of  those 
streams,  especially  the  Ohio  River  at  the  falls,  and  he  lived  to 
see  the  subsequent  efforts  of  others  at  various  periods,  through 
tardy  action  by  Congress,  crowned  with  success  by  a  greatly 
enlarged  canal,  now  made  toll  free. 

Mr.  Graham  was  always  a  close  observer  and  thinker,  a 
devoted  student  of  nature,  and  a  careful  reader  of  books.  He 
thus  acquired  a  great  fund  of  knowledge,  both  scientific  and 
practical.  He  was  a  man  of  great  general  information,  and  pos¬ 
sessed  a  happy  faculty  of  imparting  knowledge  to  others  in  a 
manner  fascinating  to  friends.  Even  after  all  active  partici¬ 
pation  of  his  with  enterprises,  the  efforts  of  younger  men  to 
advance  the  interests  and  build  up  the  city  of  his  adoption  met 
with  his  hearty  sympathy,  as  though  these  efforts  were  the  reflex 
in  his  later  life  of  the  courage  and  integrity  with  which  his 
career  was  marked  in  earlier  days. 

Mr.  Graham  was  for  many  years  an  active  member  of  the 
Chamber,  and  took  a  lively  interest  in  the  statistics  gathered 
there.  In  May,  1878,  the  Board  of  Officers,  in  view  of  eminent 
services  in  public  affairs  in  earlier  periods,  elected  him  an  hon¬ 
orary  member,  to  continue  during  his  natural  life,  which  has 
just  closed. 

John  W.  Hartwell,  Thos.  Sherlock, 
Peter  A.  White,  W.  M.  Hobart. 
Wm.  H.  Harrison, 


Ohio  Mechanics’  Institute. 

The  Board  of  Officers  of  the  Ohio  Mechanics’  Institute,  of 
which  Mr.  Graham  was  the  last  surviving  charter  member,  at  a 
meeting  held  on  the  4th  of  March,  adopted  the  following  pre¬ 
amble  and  resolutions  setting  forth  the  regret  of  the  board  at 
his  demise: 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


13 


Whereas,  The  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Ohio  Mechanics* 
Institute  have  learned  with  sorrow  of  the  death,  at  Cincinnati, 
O.,  March  1,  1881,  of  George  Graham,  a  lifelong  friend  and  sole 
surviving  charter  member  of  the  Institute,  and  have  assembled 
to  give  some  official  expression  to  their  sense  of  the  loss  sus¬ 
tained  by  his  death ;  now,  therefore,  be  it 

Resolved,  That  in  the  death  of  George  Graham  the  Ohio 
Mechanics*  Institute  has  lost  a  valued  member,  to  whose  unsel¬ 
fish  and  efficient  labors  in  time  past  it  is  largely  indebted  for  its 
existence  and  present  prosperity,  and  that  in  him  Death,  who 
loves  a  shining  mark,  found  one  whose  years,  though  more  than 
the  allotted  span,  were  full  of  good  deeds  done  to  his  neigh¬ 
bors  and  the  community  in  which  he  lived,  and  that  the  Ohio 
Mechanics*  Institute  will  cherish  his  memory  with  gratitude  and 
respect. 

Resolved,  That  the  Board  of  Directors  of  the  Institute  will 
attend  his  funeral  in  a  body. 

Resolved,  That  these  resolutions  be  recorded  in  the  minutes, 
and  that  a  copy  be  sent  to  the  surviving  family  of  the  deceased 
in  token  of  respect  and  sympathy,  and  that  copies  of  the  same 
be  furnished  for  publication  to  the  daily  press. 


Historical  and  Philosophical  Society  of  Ohio. 

The  following  resolution  was  read  by  Mr.  J.  D.  Caldwell : 

Historical  and  Philosophical  Society  of  Ohio,  \ 

Cincinnati,  April  4,  1881.  j 

Mr.  J.  D.  Caldwell  : 

Dear  Sir, — At  a  meeting  of  the  Historical  and  Philosophical 
Society  of  Ohio,  held  on  Saturday,  April  2d,  the  following  reso¬ 
lution  was  passed : 

Resolved,  That  in  the  death  of  George  Graham,  one  ol  the 
earliest  members  of  the  Historical  and  Philosophical  Society  of 
Ohio,  the  Society  has  suffered  an  irreparable  loss.  His  boldness 
and  sagacity  in  business  enterprises,  his  interest  in  science  and 
literature,  together  with  his  constant  activity,  made  him  promi¬ 
nent  among  the  men  who  helped  to  give  direction  and  tone  to 
the  developments  of  the  Ohio  Valley,  and  his  later  years,  with- 


14 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIA  TION. 


drawn  from  business  and  from  public  life,  were  given,  not  in 
making  history,  but  to  gathering  and  preserving  its  records. 

I  am  directed  to  send  this  to  you  for  use  at  the  memorial 
service  in  honor  of  Mr.  Graham. 

Respectfully,  E.  H.  Appleton,  Librarian. 


Volunteer  Firemen’s  Association. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  members  of  the  Old  Volunteer  Fire¬ 
men’s  Association,  held  at  the  Grand  Hotel,  Saturday  evening, 
March  12th,  A.  G.  W  Carter,  Calvin  TV  Thomas,  and  Albert 
Paddock  were  appointed  a  committee  to  draft  a  report  in  respect 
to  the  memory  of  the  late  George  Graham.  They  submitted  the 
following,  which  was  unanimously  adopted: 

Among  the  other  many  notable,  interesting,  and  important 
facts  of  the  late  George  Graham,  he  was  a  distinguished  volun¬ 
teer  fireman  of  the  days  of  yore,  and  as  such  was  a  gallant 
member  of  our  Association  ever  since  it  was  established,  and 
took  much  pleasure  and  enjoyment  in  meeting  with  us.  It  be¬ 
comes  then  our  Association  to  pay  a  proper  and  decent  respect  to 
the  memory  of  our  late  honored  member,  George  Graham,  and 
we  do  so,  knowing  as  we  do  that,  as  one  of  us,  he  was  worthy 
of  our  highest  opinion  and  of  our  great  esteem  and  regard.  He 
was  a  citizen  of  whom  any  city  might  have  been  proud.  He 
was  a  man  of  real  and  genuine  honor  and  integrity,  and  most 
useful  in  his  day  and  generation  to  all  his  fellow-citizens,  among 
whom  his  character  and  career  were  well  known  and  well  cared 
for  and  appreciated.  His  private  life  Avas  as  distinguished  for 
many  virtues  as  Avas  his  public  life,  and  as  a  friend  and  com¬ 
panion  he  Avas  held  dear  by  those  Avho  kneAV  him  in  all  the  rela¬ 
tions  of  life.  We  honored  his  character  Avhen  lVing;  Ave  respect 
his  memory  Avhen  dead. 

Resolved,  That  the  foregoing  tribute  to  the  memory  of  the 
late  George  Graham,  our  felloAV-member,  be  transcribed  upon 
our  records  and  preserved  among  the  arehVes  of  our  Association. 

A.  G.  W.  Carter, 

Calvin  W.  Thomas, 
Albert  Paddock. 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


15 


Hrg  OlemoRiAL  Association 


A  large  number  of  the  friends  of  the  late  George  Graham 
met  at  the  Gibson  House,  March  10th,  to  make  arrangements 
for  holding  appropriate  memorial  services  at  some  future  day,  as 
a  token  of  regard  for  the  memory  of  the  deceased. 

On  motion  of  Mr.  Taylor,  Benjamin  Simmons,  Esq.,  was 
elected  chairman,  and  C.  W.  Thomas  and  Gustav  Wahle  sec¬ 
retaries. 

Mr.  Simmons  expressed  his  regret  at  being  selected  to  pre¬ 
side,  as  there  were  so  many  present  who  were  far  abler  to  fill 
the  place;  but  when  citizens  were  called  together  to  pay  a  trib¬ 
ute  of  respect  to  the  memory  of  any  person  who  had  done  as 
much  toward  the  growth  and  real  prosperity  of  Cincinnati  as 
George  Graham,  he  woidd  not  shrink  from  any  responsibilities. 
Coming  here  in  the  early  part  of  the  century,  when  a  young 
man,  Mr.  Graham,  by  his  honor,  energy,  muscle,  brains,  and  en¬ 
terprise,  at  once  took  a  foremost  place  as  a  merchant  of  good, 
hard,  strong  sense.  He  was  a  quiet,  unostentatious,  plain,  prac¬ 
tical  man,  of  a  very  positive  character,  with  a  tender  heart,  and 
strong  sympathies  for  those  who  had  been  less  successful  in  the 
great  battle  of  life  than  himself.  “Having  lived  all  mv  life 
almost  within  sight  of  the  smoky  canopy  of  our  great  metrop¬ 
olis,  as  long  as  I  can  remember  any  thing,  I  can  recall  hearing 
of  the  many  enterprises  in  which  this  good  citizen  was  the  cen¬ 
tral  figure.  It  is  no  idle  laudation  when  I  say  that  no  other 
citizen  has  done  as  much  for  Cincinnati  as  George  Graham;  and 
this  is  asserting  much,  when  we  think  of  such  great  benefactors 
as  Nichol  as  Longworth,  Miles  Greenwood,  Henry  Probasco, 
Tyler  Davidson,  John  Kilgour,  Samuel  Fosdick,  William  Wood- 


16 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


ward,  Thomas  Hughes,  William  McMicken,  Reuben  R.  Springer, 
Charles  W.  West,  David  Sinton,  Wesley  Smead,  Wm.  S.  Groes- 
beck,  Marston  Allen,  and  others,  who  gave  freely  for  the  promo¬ 
tion  of  the  comfort,  education,  and  happiness  of  our  citizens. 
How  much  we  will  miss  the  pleasant,  quiet,  thoughtful  old  man 
in  his  accustomed  stroll  on  Fourth  Street!  He  has  left  us  for 
ever;  but  his  good  works  will  remain  as  long  as  one  of  us  is 
left  who  takes  pride  in  our  great  public -school  system,  of 
which  George  Graham  was  one  of  the  real  founders.  Gentle¬ 
men,  pardon  me  for  detaining  you.  We  will  now  be  glad  to 
hear  any  suggestions/’ 

Mr.  Davis  thought  the  only  thing  to  do  was  to  empower  the 
chairman  to  appoint  a  committee  of  say  twenty-five,  with  full 
power  to  engage  hall,  speaker,  etc.,  to  carry  out  the  object 
in  view. 

The  chairman  thought  it  best  to  let  all  in  attendance  present 
such  names  as  would  be  of  benefit;  which  suggestion,  with  the 
chairman  of  the  meeting  added  as  chairman,  and  the  secretaries 
ex  officio  members  of  the  committee,  was  adopted. 

The  following  well-known  citizens  were  then  placed  upon 
the  committee : 


Colonel  A.  D.  Bullock, 
Alex.  Long, 

M.  Halstead, 

J.  J.  Faran, 

L.  Markbreit, 

Chas.  P.  Taft, 

Henry  Haacke, 

A.  Hickenlooper, 
James  H.  Laws, 
Colonel  W.  P.  Wiltsee, 
Fred.  Klensch, 

Lemuel  De  Camp, 
Chares  W.  West, 
William  Glenn, 

John  Carlisle, 

Jos.  Kinsey, 

Henry  C.  Urner, 


Julius  Benckenstein, 
George  Emig, 

George  Peterson, 

F.  B.  Kearney, 
Samuel  Mains, 
Hezekiah  Kiersted, 
David  Mills, 

Rev.  Thomas  Vickers, 
Wm.  McMasters, 

S.  F.  Denton, 

Charles  W.  Bird, 
Frank  Scheirnbeck, 

M.  Leon, 

Henry  Lusky, 

Charles  Kisker, 

Wm.  B.  Smith, 

Fred.  Klameier, 


Charles  F.  Muth, 

Lewis  Manns, 

James  R.  Challen, 
Charles  Rammelsberg, 
Marcus  Warth, 

Rev.  Mr.  Kammerer, 

S.  S.  Davis, 

Colonel  Geo.  W.  Minor, 
W.  FI.  Hughes, 

John  Simpkinson, 

W.  S.  Groesbeck, 
Governor  J.  D.  Cox, 

H.  W.  Muhlhauser, 
Jesse  Collins, 

Thomas  Hartzell, 
Bellamy  Storer, 

A.  T.  Goshorn, 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


17 


M.  F.  Force, 

Christian  Moerlein, 

S.  H.  Burton, 

Jos.  Trounstine, 

W.  F.  Thorne, 

Dr.  James  Hopple, 

L.  W.  Goss, 

Samuel  Fosdick, 

David  Sinton, 

George  W.  Bishop, 
Robert  Allison, 

Marcus  Fechheimer, 
Julius  Freiberg, 

John  B.  Peaslee, 

John  W.  Dale, 

M.  D.  Osgood, 

Fred.  Kalendorf, 

Rev.  Mr.  Johnson, 

Peter  H.  Clark, 
Alphonso  Taft, 
Governor  R.  M.  Bishop, 
Andrew  Glaeser, 

Henry  Marks, 

Henrv  Leonard. 

7 

William  Haworth, 


Dr.  S.  L.  Green, 
George  W.  Jones, 
Robert  McGrew, 

H.  C.  Powers, 

Joseph  Longworth, 

Dr.  M.  Lilienthal, 

Dr.  I.  M.  Wise, 

Dr.  J.  M.  Walden, 
Rev.  J.  P.  E.  Kumler, 
Richard  Smith, 

M.  Jacobi, 

Alex.  C.  Clark, 
Francis  Ferry, 

L.  L.  Saddler, 
Adolphus  Carnes, 
Henry  Probasco, 
George  W.  McAlpin, 
Henry  Kessler, 

Wm.  P.  Hulbert, 
Thomas  G.  Smith, 
Aaron  F.  Perry, 

John  D.  Caldwell, 
Thomas  Asbury, 
Colonel  O.  H.  Geffroy, 
Dr.  AV.  H.  Mussey, 


H.  H.  Gosling, 

Thomas  Nelson, 

John  M.  Clarke, 

Benj.  E.  Hopkins, 

Dr.  Wm.  B.  Davis, 
Simon  Krug, 

Leopold  Fettweis, 

Gus.  Loewenstein, 

AV.  H.  Chatfield, 
Murray  Shipley, 

Judge  H.  C.  Whitman, 
Robert  Mitchell, 

George  AV.  Gladden, 

Dr.  C.  0.  AVright, 

Elder  AV.  P.  Stratton, 
John  Hauser, 

Leopold  Goldsmith, 
Harry  R.  Smith, 

AV.  H.  Parham, 

Rev.  Henry  Schulil, 
Colonel  Jerry  Kiersted. 
Christ.  AVelnnan, 

Wm.  M.  Ampt, 

George  A.  Schneider. 


[A  resolution  was  passed,  as  will  be  seen  by  the  proceedings 
of  June  4th,  that  the  names  of  all  those  appointed  on  the  sev¬ 
eral  committees  who  did  not  attend  the  meetings  should  be 
omitted  from  this  work;  but,  as  there  was  no  record  kept  of 
those  present  or  absent,  we  can  only  say  that  not  more  than 
twenty  of  all  those  appointed  took  an  active  part.] 

On  motion  of  Mr.  Wahle,  the  thanks  of  the  meeting  were 
returned  to  the  proprietors  of  the  Gibson  House  for  the  use  of 
their  elegant  parlors.  The  meeting  then  adjourned. 


March  12th  there  was  a  meeting  of  prominent  citizens, 
in  the  gentlemen’s  parlor  of  the  Gibson  House,  to  make  arrange¬ 
ments  to  hold  memorial  services  in  honor  of  the  late  George 
Graham.  There  were  present:  Ben.  H.  Simmons,  John  Simp- 
kinson,  Colonel  A.  E.  Jones,  Colonel  J.  W.  Wilt-see,  Dr.  Max 


18 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


Lilienthal,  Colonel  G.  W.  Minor,  Dr.  Beck,  L.  Goldsmith,  A\r. 
A.  Collard,  M.  D.  Osgood,  AY.  J.  Fitzgerald,  Wm.  McMasters, 
AY.  Sackett,  AY.  AVozencraft,  Colonel  O.  H.  Gcffroy. 

It  was  suggested  that  the  meeting  prepare  to  take  action  for 
a  meeting  in  the  future,  at  which  the  deceased  should  be  me¬ 
morialized  in  a  suitable  manner.  It  was  also  suggested  that  a 
committee  be  appointed  to  secure  speakers,  and  the  attendance 
of  the  school  children. 

Mr.  Simpkinson  was  elected  temporary  chairman. 

Dr.  Lilienthal  moved  that  a  committee  of  three  be  appointed 
to  prepare  a  programme,  and  to  report  at  a  meeting  to  be  held 
next  week.  He  proposed  that  the  Board  of  Education  be  invited 
to  take  part  in  the  matter,  in  order  to  have  the  school  children 
present  at  the  final  meeting. 

Dr.  A.  E.  Jones  proposed  to  invite  the  Pioneer  Association, 
through  Hon.  J.  D.  Caldwell,  to  appoint  a  committee  to  secure 
the  attendance  of  the  Association. 

Mr.  AViltsee  thought  it  would  be  advisable  to  confine  the  in- 
vitation  to  the  public  schools,  as  the  deceased  had  been  identified 
with  so  many  associations  and  institutions,  that  either  all  of 
them  should  be  invited  or  none,  except  the  schools. 

Dr.  Jones  proposed  that  Music  Hall  be  engaged,  and  that 
not  only  all  the  associations  to  which  Mr.  Graham  belonged  be 
invited,  but  the  citizens  generally. 

Dr.  Beck  said  it  would  not  do  to  exclude  anybody,  not  even 
the  soldiers,  for  although  the  deceased  was  not  a  soldier,  on 
account  of  old  age,  he  had  contributed  money  to  the  cause  and 
comfort  of  the  soldier. 

Mr.  Collard  stated  that  the  deceased  had  tided  the  Mechanics’ 
Institute  over  a  period  of  financial  depression,  and  had  by  that 
means  saved  it  from  wreck. 

The  chair  appointed  the  Committee  on  Programme:  Dr. 
M.  Lilienthal,  Dr.  A.  E.  Jones,  and  Dr.  Beck,  to  which  were 
added  the  chairman  and  C.  AY.  Thomas.  Programme  com- 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


19 


mittee  to  meet  at  three  o’clock,  at  the  same  place,  on  Tues¬ 
day,  15th. 

Citizens’  committee  then  adjourned. 


The  society  met  on  March  26th,  at  four  P.  M.,  in  the  par¬ 
lors  of  the  Gibson  House,  to  continue  the  preparations  for  a 
grand  memorial  service  in  honor  of  the  late  George  Graham. 
John  Simpkinson,  Esq.,  was  unanimously  elected  as  permanent 
chairman,  and  the  following  well-known  gentlemen  as  secreta¬ 
ries:  C.  W.  Thomas,  Gustave  AYahle,  W.  J.  Fitzgerald,  J. 

Moses  Pay. 

%> 

On  motion  of  Dr.  M.  Lilienthal,  it  was  resolved  that  the 
services  be  held  in  Music  Hall,  and  the  following  committee 
was  appointed  to  secure  it :  Dr.  M.  Lilienthal,  A.  Carnes, 
Colonel  A.  E.  Jones,  the  chairman,  and  Secretary  Fitzgerald. 

Upon  motion  of  Mr.#M.  D.  Osgood,  the  chair  announced  the 
following  general  standing  committees: 

Committee  on  Finance — Colonel  A.  D.  Bullock,  IT.  S.  Burton, 
S.  S.  Davis,  James  H.  Laws,  AYm.  Glenn. 

Order  of  Business — George  AY.  Jones,  H.  C.  Urncr,  W.  S. 
Cappeller,  C.  H.  Gould,  Nathaniel  Bartlett. 

Committee  on  Hall,  Music  and  Decorations — John  B.  Peaslee, 
Colonel  W.  P.  AViltsee,  AY.  J.  Fitzgerald,  Dr.  J.  W.  Underhill, 
John  Akels. 

Committee  on  Invitation — Messrs.  John  D.  Caldwell,  Harry 
P.  Smith,  John  AY.  Dale,  J.  YI.  Johnston,  and  Charles  Thomas. 

Committee  on  Speakers — Colonel  A.  E.  Jones,  Messrs.  AY.  A. 
Collard,  L.  Goldsmith,  Dr.  J.  C.  Beck,  Adolphus  Carnes,  and 
Dr.  A.  E.  Heigh  way. 

Committee  on  Printing — Messrs.  F.  S.  Brown,  William  Eg¬ 
gleston,  J.  Moses  Pay,  M.  D.  Osgood,  and  C.  T.  Woodrow. 

The  society  then  adjourned,  to  meet  again  on  Saturday  next 
at  four  P.  M.  at  the  same  place. 


20 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


The  parlors  of  the  Gibson  House  were  crowded  the  after¬ 
noon  of  the  2d  of  April,  by  the  various  committees  having  in 
charge  the  preparations  for  the  memorial  services  to  the  late 
George  Graham.  Hon.  John  Simpkinson,  the  chairman,  on 
taking  the  chair,  said: 

Gentlemen  :  The  matter  we  now  have  in  hand  I  am  certain 
will  prove  greater  and  far  more  important  than  the  most  san¬ 
guine  of  us  at  first  anticipated.  The  original  idea,  as  I  under¬ 
stand  it,  was  to  pay  a  proper  tribute  of  respect  to  the  memory 
of  our  recently  deceased  and  distinguished  citizen,  George  Gra¬ 
ham,  but  so  general  has  become  the  desire  that  I  take  pleasure 
in  submitting  for  your  consideration  the  propriety  of  our  remem¬ 
bering  others  of  the  worthy  dead.  The  beautiful  custom  of 
paying  proper  respect  to  those  who  have  passed  away  during  the 
closing  twelve  months,  will  have  a  great  tendency  to  inspire  our 

vouth  and  those  in  active  life  to  such  meritorious  lives  as  will 
%/ 

entitle  them  to  our  remembrance  when  dead.  This  is  a  work 
of  love,  and  one  in  which  every  creed,  nationality,  race,  and 
color  can  heartily  join.  We  have  placed  the  carrying  out  of 
our  designs  in  the  hands  of  excellent  citizens,  and  from  the 
character  of  the  men  upon  these  committees  I  am  sure  that 
merited  success  will  crown  our  efforts. 

Hr.  A.  E.  Heigh  way  was  added  to  the  Committee  on  Speak¬ 
ers,  and  the  various  committees  were  empowered  to  add  to  their 
number  such  gentlemen  as  they  deemed  proper.  All  the  com¬ 
mittees  were  ordered  to  report  to  the  meeting  on  next  Saturday 
afternoon. 

Excellent  and  well-timed  remarks  were  then  made  by  Pro¬ 
fessor  John  B.  Peaslee,  Hr.  Lilienthal,  Hon.  Warren  Higley, 

* 

and  others. 


The  society  met  at  three  P.  M.,  April  9th,  in  the  parlors  of 
the  Gibson  House,  President  Simpkinson  in  the  chair.  In  the 
absence  of  the  regular  secretary,  Mr.  W.  J.  Fitzgerald,  J.  M. 
Kemper  acted  for  the  meeting.  The  Committee  on  Finance, 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


21 


through  Hon.  James  H.  Laws,  reported  that  there  would  be  no 
trouble  in  raising  all  the  funds  necessary  to  make  the  movement 
a  grand  success,  one  that  will  reflect  the  greatest  credit  upon 
the  city.  The  chairmen  of  the  following  committees  are  to 
meet  at  three  P.  M.,  on  Thursday  next,  to  make  final  reports : 
Finance — Colonel  A.  D.  Bullock;  Orators — Colonel  A.  E.  Jones; 
Printing — F.  S.  Brown ;  Hall,  Music  and  Decoration — John  B. 
Peaslee;  Invitation — John  D.  Caldwell;  From  Board  of  Coun¬ 
cil — W.  J.  Fitzgerald ;  From  Board  of  Aldermen — Wm.  Loder. 

J.  B.  Peaslee,  Esq.,  from  the  Committee  on  Hall,  reported 
progress,  thinking  it  best  to  have  the  finance  committee  raise 
the  necessary  funds  before  securing  Music  Hall. 

Colonel  A.  E.  Jones,  from  the  Committee  on  Speakers, 
reported  that  Hon.  Alphonso  Taft  and  Hon.  Aaron  E.  Perry 
have  consented  to  deliver  addresses,  and  others  of  equal  national 
reputation  will  be  secured. 

On  motion  of  Thomas  McLean,  Esq.,  the  chairman  and  sec¬ 
retary  were  ordered  to  send  a  communication  to  the  Board  of 
Education  asking  the  assistance  of  from  three  hundred  to  five 
hundred  of  the  pupils  of  the  High  and  Intermediate  Schools. 

Hon.  James  H.  Laws  said  that  the  people  generally  were 
taking  a  deep  interest  in  the  actions  of  the  society,  and  he  would 
therefore  move  that  the  citizens  be  requested  to  loan  for  the  occa¬ 
sion  the  portraits  of  well-known  deceased  citizens  who  have  been 
identified  with  the  history,  growth  and  prosperity  of  the  city. 

The  meeting  then  adjourned  to  meet  again  on  next  Thursday, 
at  four  P.  M. 


The  Committee  of  the  Graham  Memorial  Services  met  in 
the  Gibson  House  parlors,  April  15th,  Hon.  John  Simpkinson 
in  the  chair,  and  J.  L.  Kemper,  secretary. 

The  chairman  was  designated  to  take  charge  of  the  funds 
collected  to  pay  the  expenses. 

A  committee  of  three — Judge  Murdock,  Nicholas  Goshorn 


22 


MEMORIAL  ASS  0  Cl  ATI  ON. 


and  A.  Carnes — was  appointed  to  ask  the  Union  Board  of  the 
High  Schools  to  allow  some  two  hundred  of  the  scholars  to  take 
part  in  the  exercises. 

On  motion,  the  30th  of  May,  which  is  a  national  holiday, 
was  designated  as  the  time,  and  Music  Hall  as  the  place,  for 
holding  the  memorial  exercises,  which  will  not  only  be  a  matter 
of  respect  to  Mr.  Graham,  blit  also  to  all  others  of  those  who 
have  passed  away  who  have  rendered  any  service  to  our  city. 

The  corridors  and  vestibule  of  the  Music  Hall  will  be  given 
up  to  a  display  of  hundreds  of  portraits  of  old  Cincinnatians, 
among  which  will  be  those  of  Hon.  John  Cleves  Symmes  and 
Colonel  Israel  Ludlow,  the  proprietor  and  founder  of  Cincin¬ 
nati;  Colonel  George  Rogers  Clarke,  Colonel  John  Riddle,  Adam 
X.  Riddle,  Charles  Hammond,  Deacon  David  E.  Wade,  General 
M.  S.  Wade,  David  Oliver,  Judge  John  McLean,  Wm.  McLean, 
X.  AY.  Thomas,  George  Keck,  James  Wilson,  Darius  Eggleston, 
George  Carlisle,  Dr.  George  Mendenhall,  Dr.  M.  B.  Wright, 
Dr.  R.  D.  Mussey,  Wm.  M.  Corry,  Abraham  Aub,  James  W. 
Gatf,  Oliver  Perin,  James  W.  Bishop,  Ferdinand  Bodmann, 
Charles  Bodmann,  William  Resor,  Tyler  Davidson,  John  H. 
Groesbeck,  Harvey  DeCamp,  Joseph  DeCamp,  Xicholas  Long- 
worth,  Andrew  AY.  Dale,  Charles  Xeave,  Thompson  Xeave, 
Daniel  McLaren,  George  E.  Pugh,  M.  D.  Potter,  James  A.  Fra¬ 
zer,  S.  S.  L’Hommedieu,  Andrew  McAlpin,  Marston  Allen,  Ira 
AArood,  R.  M.  Moore,  Alfred  Gaither,  Major  A\rm.  Ruffin,  Isaac 
AYolf,  Judge  Jacob  Burnet,  John  AYhetstone,  Dr.  P.  G.  Fore, 
Joseph  Elstner,  Thomas  H.  AYeasner,  H.  H.  Barney,  Judge 
Coffin,  Henry  Miller,  Dr.  Daniel  Drake,  X.  G.  Xettleton,  AYm. 
Xeff,  Peter  Xeff,  George  AY.  Xeff,  Joseph  Glenn,  James  Brad¬ 
ford,  X.  G.  Pendleton,  John  A.  Gurley,  Matthew  Harbeson, 
Judge  D.  K.  Este,  A.  Buchanan,  Jacob  Xetter,  Micajah  T.  Bai¬ 
ley,  John  D.  Jones,  Joseph  Ray,  Daniel  Carney,  Smith  Betts, 
S.  H.  Taft,  Robert  Cohoon,  George  Shillito,  John  Sldllito,  Geo. 
M.  Herancourt,  Geo.  H.  Eichenlaub,  J.  U.  AYindisch,  Joseph 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


23 


Cromwell,  J.  C.  C.  Holenshade,  Joseph  Bodley,  Judge  Nathaniel 
Wright,  J.  P.  Harrison,  Vachel  Worthington,  Jacob  Strader, 
Eden  H.  Boeder,  N.  L.  Hazen,  E.  Dexter. 

•  All  others  having  portraits  of  old  Cincinnatians  are  requested 
to  notify  the  chairman,  Hon.  John  Simpkinson,  by  postal-card. 
The  portraits  will  be  placed  in  position  on  the'  morning  of  the 
30th  of  May,  when  they  can  be  seen  during  the  day  and  at  the 
exercises  in  the  evening.  Great  care  will  be  taken  to  prevent 
injury  to  the  pictures. 

The  next  meeting  will  be  at  the  Gibson  House,  May  1st. 


There  was  a  very  active  business  meeting  of  the  committee 
having  charge  of  the  George  Graham  memorial  services  in  the 
parlors  of  the  Gibson  House,  May  1st,  with  Hon.  John  Simp¬ 
kinson  in  the  chair,  and  John  Akels,  Esq.,  secretary. 

Mr.  John  D.  Caldwell,  from  the  Committee  on  Invitation, 
reported  that  Mr.  Graham  belonged  to  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
was  a  soldier  in  the  War  of  1812,  a  member  of  the  School 
Board,  of  the  Horticultural  Society,  Spring  Grove  Cemetery 
Association,  the  Ohio  Mechanics  Institute,  the  Pioneer  Associa¬ 
tion,  and  many  other  organizations,  and  that  it  was  desirable 
for  them  all  to  be  present  at  the  Music  Hall  in  a  body,  and 
that  invitations  would  be  extended  to  them  all,  and  as  soon  as  it 
is  known  how  many  will  be  present,  seats  will  be  reserved. 

Mr.  Akels,  from  the  Committee  on  Hall,  reported  that  the 
School  Board  had  cordially  accepted  the  invitation  to  be  present, 
and  that  two  hundred  of  the  high  school  scholars  will  take  part 
in  the  exercises. 

On  motion,  James  R.  Challen,  John  W.  Dale,  and  H.  C. 
Powers  were  appointed  a  committee  to  arrange  for  the  pub¬ 
lishing  in  book  form  of  the  history  of  the  proceedings  of  the 
Association,  with  the  full  account  of  the  addresses  and  services 
at  the  Music  Hall. 


24 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION . 


Letters  were  received  from  members  of  many  prominent 
families  offering  the  use  of  their  family  portraits  for  the  exhibit 
at  Music  Hall  on  the  30th. 

The  Committee  on  Finance  reported  about  half  enough  col¬ 
lected  to  pay  for  the  hall,  and  that  active  work  will  be  done 
next  week  to  secure  the  balance. 

A  gentleman  stated  that  in  consequence  of  such  a  press  of 
private  affairs,  requiring  so  much  attention,  Colonel  A.  D.  Bul¬ 
lock  had  expressed  an  inclination  to  give  way  to  some  person 
who  could  devote  more  time  to  the  committee,  but  the  unani¬ 
mous  feeling  was  for  Colonel  Bullock  to  remain  at  the  head  of 
the  finance  committee,  the  others  agreeing  to  do  the  active 
work. 

It  was  resolved  that  all  persons  in  the  city  having  family 
or  other  portraits  of  deceased  pioneers,  or  other  persons  who 
have  worked  to  help  build  up  Cincinnati,  and  are  willing  to 
loan  the  pictures  for  the  Music  Hall  services,  be  requested  to 
send  notice  to  Mr.  John  Simpkinson  (by  postal  or  letter),  ~No.  89 
West  Pearl  Street.  The  greatest  care  will  be  taken  of  the  por¬ 
traits,  and  they  will  be  returned  the  day  after  the  exercises. 


There  was  a  very  large  and  interesting  meeting  of  the 
George  Graham  Memorial  Service  Committee  at  the  Gibson 
House,  May  8th,  Hon.  John  Simpkinson  presiding,  with  John 
Akels  secretary. 

Colonel  A.  D.  Bullock,  in  consequence  of  the  press  of  his 
own  business  affairs,  resigned  as  chairman  of  the  finance  com¬ 
mittee,  which  vacancy  was  filled  by  the  unanimous  election  of 
Hon.  James  H.  Laws. 

The  hall  committee  was  authorized  to  employ  a  suitable 
person  to  have  charge  of  the  portraits. 

Hon.  John  D.  Caldwell,  from  the  Committee  on  Invitation, 
reported  that  the  deepest  interest  was  being  manifested  by  all 


MEMORIAL  ASS  0  Cl  A  TION. 


25 


our  citizens  in  the  memorial  services,  and  that  already  large 
numbers  of  applications  for  reserved  seats  were  being  received, 
and  that  from  present  appearances  the  great  Music  Hall  will  not 
b,e  one-half  large  enough  to  accommodate  those  who  desire  to  be 
present,  and  that,  while  as  yet  no  actual  assignment  of  seats 
could  be  given  out,  yet  the  rule  will  doubtless  be  adopted  bv 
the  committee  of  first  come  first  served — that  is,  the  applications 
will  be  acted  on  in  regular  order,  so  that  all  will  be  suited. 

Colonel  A.  E.  Jones,  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Orators, 
reported  that  the  following  distinguished  persons  have  been 
invited  :  Senator  Benjamin  Harrison,  of  Indiana,  an  old  Cin¬ 
cinnati  boy  ;  Ex-Governor  William  Dennison,  another  old 
Cincinnatian  ;  Senator  George  H.  Pendleton,  Ex-Governor  J. 
D.  Cox,  Charles  F.  Wilstach,  Aaron  F.  Perry,  Rufus  King, 
Alphonzo  Taft,  John  D.  Caldwell,  A.  J.  Rickoff,  and  Ex-Gov¬ 
ernor  Green,  of  Rhode  Island,  who  was  a  prominent  citizen  here 
for  nearly  half  a  century,  during  which  time  he  was  engaged 
with  George  Graham  in  many  business  enterprises. 

Colonel  W.  P.  Wiltsee,  from  the  Committee  on  Halls,  re¬ 
ported  progress,  and  that  as  soon  as  the  finance  committee  was 
ready  every  thing  will  be  in  readiness. 

Mr.  J.  Moses  Ray,  from  the  Committee  on  Printing,  reported 
that  a  general  circular  had  been  prepared  and  printed  for  general 
circulation,  and  that  it  was  productive  of  great  good,  as  it  fully 

I 

informed  the  general  public  of  the  work  in  hand.  The  com¬ 
mittee  had  also  had  printed  a  notice  for  committee  meetings, 
and  will  be  ready  for  any  other  work  needed  by  any  of  the 
various  committees. 

The  Committee  on  Permanent  Publications  reported  progress. 

Chairman  Simpkinson  then  expressed  his  gratification  at  the 
wonderful  progress  being  made  and  the  certain  result  of  com¬ 
plete  and  grand  success  of  a  movement  which,  starting  with 
such  a  modest  beginning,  had  now  reached  a  point  where  the 

entire  community  of  our  good  old  city  was  interested.  Mr. 

3 


26 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


Springer  built  wiser  than  he  knew  when  he  gave  to  Cincinnati 
the  great  Music  Hall,  and  yet  that  grand  room,  capable  of  hold¬ 
ing  nearly  ten  thousand  poople,  will  not  be  nearly  large  enough 
to  accommodate  the  masses  who  will  congregate  there  to  hear 
from  eloquent  tongues  the  just  eulogies  to  those  who,  having 
done  their  best  for  Cincinnati,  have  passed  over  the  dark  valley. 
We  all  know  our  duty  to  the  living,  and  such  ceremonies  as  the 
one  we  are  now  engaged  in  will  keep  our  hearts  fresh  in  kind 
remembrance  of  the  faces  and  memories  of  our  worthy  dead. 
What  we  particularly  need  now  is  to  have  sufficient  funds  to 
carry  on  our  work ;  and  to  assist  what  had  already  been  done  in 
this  way  he  favored  those  present  donating  liberally,  and  to 
show  a  good  example  would  make  the  first  contribution. 

The  words  of  President  Simpkinson  hit  the  right  spot,  for  in 
less  than  five  minutes  some  fifty  dollars  was  subscribed. 

President  Simpkinson  and  James  H.  Laws,  chairman  of  the 
finance  committee,  will  push  the  matter  next  week.  Large 
numbers  of  letters  were  received  from  prominent  families  offer¬ 
ing  the  use  of  their  family  portraits  for  the  exhibition  on  the 
30th.  It  is  desired  that  all  persons  knowing  of  the  existence 
of  the  portraits  of  any  of  our  former  active  citizens  will  at  once 
notify  Hon.  John  Simpkinson  by  postal-card. 

The  meeting  adjourned  till  Saturday  afternoon  at  four  o’clock. 


The  general  committee  having  in  charge  the  approaching 
Memorial  Services  met  in  the  parlors  of  the  Gibson  House  May 
15th,  Hon.  John  Simpkinson,  the  president,  in  the  chair,  and 
Mr.  John  Akels,  secretary. 

The  Committee  on  Finance  reported  having  collected  the 
greater  part  of  the  funds  necessary  to  make  the  exercises  all  that 
can  be  desired. 

The  Committee  on  Hall,  through  its  chairman,  John  B. 
Peaslee,  Esq.,  reported  that  Music  Hall  had  been  secured  for 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


27 


the  occasion,  and  that  the  choruses  from  the  high  schools  were 
making  progress. 

Professor  G.  F.  Junkermann,  in  charge  of  the  music  for  the 
occasion,  made  a  very  full  report,  showing  the  most  gratifying 
advancement.  The  sum  of  twenty-five  dollars  was  appropriated 
for  expenses  for  music. 

On  motion  of  J.  D.  Caldwell,  Esq.,  a  resolution  passed  ask¬ 
ing  the  Board  of  Education  to  grant  leave  of  absence  to  such 
music  teachers  as  will  be  necessary  to  aid  in  the  general  re¬ 
hearsal  on  the  27th. 

The  matter  of  the  display  of  portraits  was  left  with  the  Com¬ 
mittees  on  Hall  and  Finance,  in  connection  with  the  chairman 
and  secretary.  It  was  also  recommended  that  the  portraits  se¬ 
cured  or  offered  by  the  citizens  be  published  in  the  papers.  In 
this  connection  the  committee  will  publish  in  a  few  days  a  list 
of  the  portraits  of  former  citizens  it  is  especially  desired  to  have; 
that  is,  of  those  which  are  the  more  difficult  to  secure. 

The  Committee  on  Invitation,  through  Chairman  Caldwell, 
reported  that  due  notice  of  the  time  and  place  for  securing  re¬ 
served  seats  will  be  published.  Those  desiring  reserved  seats 
had  better  send  word  to  the  president,  Hon.  John  Simpkinson, 
No.  89  West  Pearl ;  Hon.  John  D.  Caldwell,  care  Board  of  Pub¬ 
lic  Works;  or  John  B.  Peaslee,  Esq.,  Public  Library  Building, 
as  the  rule  has  been  adopted,  first  applied  for  first  served.  In 
a  few  days  notice  will  be  given  where  seats  can  be  applied  for 
in  person;  until  then  a  postal  will  reach  either  of  the  gentlemen 
named.  Hr.  J.  W.  Underhill,  president  of  the  Board  of  Edu¬ 
cation,  being  called  upon,  stated  that  the  entire  community  was 
deeply  interested  in  the  excellent  and  praiseworthy  work  the 
committee  was  engaged  in,  and  now  there  is  no  possible  doubt 
that  the  civic  memorial  services  will  be  looked  upon  as  one  of 
the  permanent  and  most  cherished  of  all  our  duties.  It  placed 
Cincinnati  as  the  first  to  inaugurate  a  ceremony  which  will  be 
not  only  lasting,  but  highly  honorable  to  all  concerned.  It  was 


28 


MEMORIAL  ASSOC  I A  T10N. 


a  common  and  a  welcome  ground,  where  all  could  meet  with 
one  heart  and  one  purpose — that  of  paying  a  proper  tribute  to 
departed  worth. 

The  meeting  was  very  large,  and  composed  of  the  very 
best  citizens  of  our  city.  Adjourned  to  meet  next  Saturday, 
May  21st. 


The  most  important  meeting  of  the  Graham  Memorial  Serv¬ 
ice  Committee  yet  convened  took  place  at  the  Gibson  House, 
May  21st.  Hon.  John  Simpkinson  acted  as  chairman,  and  John 
Akels  as  secretary. 

The  Committee  on  Speakers  reported  that  the  orators  for  the 
exercises  on  the  30th  will  be  Hon.  A.  F.  Perry,  General  Dur¬ 
bin  Ward,  and  Judge  M.  W.  Oliver. 

The  following  letter  was  received  from  Mr.  Reuben  R. 
Springer : 

Philadelphia,  May  18,  1881. 

John  Simpkinson,  Esq,  : 

My  Dear  Friend , — Your  valued  favor  received.  I  inclose 
my  check  for  twenty-five  dollars,  as  a  contribution  for  the  me¬ 
morial  services  on  the  30th  inst.,  in  honor  of  our  departed  friend, 
George  Graham,  and  hope  to  be  at  home  in  time  to  participate 
in  them. 

Yours,  truly,  R.  R.  Springer. 

J.  R.  Challen,  from  the  Committee  on  Permanent  Publica¬ 
tions,  asked  for  and  was  granted  twenty-five  dollars  to  pay  for 
short-hand  reporters  for  the  memorial  services. 

Messrs.  D.  H.  Baldwin  &  Co.,  through  Professor  G.  F. 
Junkermann,  offered  the  use  of  a  grand  piano,  without  any 
cost  to  the  committee,  which  was  accepted,  with  a  vote  of 
thanks. 

John  D.  Caldwell,  Esq.,  from  the  Committee  on  Invitation, 
reported  that  the  following  would  be  especially  invited  to  be 
present :  Governor,  lieutenant-governor,  president  pro  tem  of 
Senate,  speaker  of  House,  mayor  and  all  city  officers,  president 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


29 


of  Council,  Lafayette  Lodge  specially,  but  all  lodges,  Scottish 
Rite,  editors  of  city  papers,  Water- works’  trustees,  president  and 
ex-president  Ohio  Mechanics’  Institute,  Ohio  Historical  Society, 
Society  of  Natural  History,  Spring  Grove  Cemetery  Association, 
Board  of  Education  of  Cincinnati,  Union  Board  of  High  Schools, 
McMicken  University  trustees,  family  of  Mr.  Graham,  deceased, 
Board  of  Examiners. 

The  Committee  on  Hall  was  authorized  to  employ  H.  P. 
Lloyd  to  take  charge  of  the  ticket-distributing  business. 

The  Committees  on  Hall  and  Invitation  offered  the  fol- 
lowing : 

The  citizens  interested  in  the  Graham  testimonial  at  Music 
Hall,  on  Decoration-day  evening,  Monday,  May  30th,  design 
enlargement  of  its  purpose  by  honoring  the  memory  of  the 
worthy  dead  who  have  aided  in  building  up  the  city,  by  secur¬ 
ing  portraits  of  men  and  women  who  have  passed  away,  to  be 
placed  in  the  vestibule  of  the  Music  Hall. 

The  design  is  to  have  the  hall  open  all  day  Monday,  the 
30th,  for  the  examination  of  this  proposed  gallery  of  pioneer 
portraits. 

On  the  evening  of  Decoration- day  the  addresses  will  be 
delivered. 

All  of  our  citizens  who  will  agree  to  deliver  their  portraits 
on  Friday  afternoon  or  Saturday  morning,  and  all  who  prefer  to 
have  the  committee  call  for  the  portraits,  should  address  Mr. 
John  D.  Caldwell,  or  J.  B.  Peaslee,  superintendent  of  schools, 
before  AVednesday  next,  and  indicate  where  the  pictures  can 
be  found. 

It  is  particularly  desired  that  any  person  knowing  of  the  por¬ 
trait  or  other  picture  of  any  deceased  person,  man  or  wo*nan,  who 
was  of  service  in  building  up  Cincinnati,  send  word  at  once  to 
either  of  the  above  gentlemen,  with  the  notice  stating  the  street 
and  number  of  the  house  where  the  picture  can  be  obtained. 
As  the  funds  of  the  committee  are  very  limited,  wherever 
possible  it  will  be  considered  a  favor  if  the  owners  of  the 
pictures  will  hand  in  and  remove  the  same  without  expense  to 
the  committee. 


30 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


The  Committee  on  Finance  reported  that  some  additional 
funds  will  be  necessary  for  complete  success,  since  it  has  been 
determined  to  have  the  gallery  of  portraits,  and  recommend 
those  who  feel  like  contributing  to  send  their  donations  immedi¬ 
ately  to  John  Simpkinson,  Esq.,  JSTo.  89  West  Pearl  Street. 

The  committee  then  adjourned  till  next  Saturday. 


The  parlors  of  the  Gibson  House  were  crowded,  May  27th, 
with  over  a  hundred  of  our  leading  merchants,  who  had  met  to 
lend  their  aid  and  influence  in  making  the  great  Memorial 
Service  at  Music  Hall,  next  Monday  evening,  a  grand  success. 
President  John  Simpkinson  occupied  the  chair,  and  John  Akels, 


secretary. 

George  W.  Jones,  chairman  of  the  finance  committee, 
reported  the  following  subscriptions : 

R.  R.  Springer,  $25;  Wm.  Sumner,  $5 ;  John  Simpkinson,  $5; 
J.  D.  Caldwell,  $5;  Jos.  Seifert,  $5  ;  Judge  Oliver,  $5;  Colonel 
Jones,  $5;  Colonel  Goshorn,  $5;  J.  B.  Peaslee,  $5;  Richard 
Wolley,  $5 ;  Edw.  Sargent,  $5 ;  Shipley,  Hoover  &  Co.,  $5 ; 
Leon,  Marks  &  Co.,  $5;  M.  &  C.  C.  Fecheimer,  $5;  Snider  & 
Hoole,  $5 ;  Geo.  W.  Bishop,  $5 ;  F.  Ringgold,  $5 ;  Burnet 
House,  $5  ;  A.  Taft,  $5 ;  A.  E.  Burkhardt,  $5  ;  William  Cap- 
peller,  $5 ;  Geo.  W.  Jones,  $5 ;  Samuel  Bailey,  $3 ;  John  Shil- 
lito  &  Co.,  $10;  R.  Simpson,  $5;  Geo.  Wiltshire,  $5;  M.  F. 
Force,  $5;  Jesse  Collius,  $5;  a  friend,  $10;  G.  P.  Phillips,  $5; 
Allen  &  Co.,  $15;  Geo.  Fisher,  $5;  N.  Patterson,  $5;  Mrs. 
Clark,  $5;  S.  S.  Smith,  $10;  Hr.  A.  E.  Heighway,  $5;  G.  F. 
Maeder,  $5;  S.  S.  Davis,  $5;  Dr.  W.  H.  Mussey,  $5;  Lewis 
Seasongood,  $5;  G.  W.  Jones,  $5;  E.  H.  Pendleton,  $5;  Pfir- 
man  &  Pfau,  $5  ;  L.  D.  Lehmer,  $5 ;  Parker,  Wise  &  Co.,  $2 ; 
W.  N.  Hobart,  $6  ;  Thos.  Emery,  $5  ;  Colonel  S.  D.  Maxwell, 
$5;  D.  J.  Fallis,  $2;  H.  C.  Urner,  $2;  G.  W.  Neare,  $1  ;  cash, 
$3 ;  Jas.  H.  Laws,  $5 ;  Colonel  Jos.  Kennett, 


In  consequence  of  the  great  interest  taken  in  the  Pioneer 
Portrait  Gallery,  on  motion  of  J.  D.  Caldwell,  it  was  resolved  to 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


31 


keep  the  gallery  open  till  next  Wednesday  evening,  and  on 
further  motion  the  following  ladies  were  appointed  a  committee 
to  give  advice  and  help  in  making  the  services  all  desired : 


Mrs.  Dr.  N.  Foster,  Mrs. 

chairman.  Mrs. 

Mrs.  Julius  Freiberg,  Mrs. 
Mrs.  S.  J.  Broad  well,  Mrs. 
Mrs.  C.  H.  Gould,  Mrs. 

Mrs.  Murat  Halstead,  Mrs. 
Mrs.Henry  E.Holtzinger,  Mrs. 
Mrs.  James  B.  Wilson,  Mrs. 
Mrs.  Colonel  A.  E.  Jones,  Mrs. 
Mrs.  Dr.  A.  C.  Kemper,  Mrs. 
Mrs.  D.  Lytle,  Mrs. 

Mrs.  Max  Lilienthal,  Mrs. 
Mrs.  John  Akels,  Mrs. 

Mrs.  A.  D.  Bullock,  Mrs. 


Smith  Betts,  Mrs. 

G.  W.  Bishop,  Mrs. 
Dr.  M.  T.  Carey,  Mrs. 
John  D.  Caldwell,  Mrs. 
Dr.  Wm.  B.  Davis,  Mrs. 
Thomas  McLean,  Mrs. 
James  H.  Laws,  Mrs. 
T.  H.  Woodworth,  Mrs. 
Stanley '  Matthews,  Mrs. 
C.  W.  Moulton,  Mrs. 

H.  W.  Muhlhauser,  Mrs. 

Wm.  Means,  Mrs. 

Henry  Mars,  Mrs. 

Geo.  W.  McAlpin,  Mrs. 


Dr.  W.  H.  Mussey, 
Wm.  Clifford  Neff', 
0.  D.  Norton, 

A.  F.  Perry, 

H.  C.  Powers, 

John  B.  Peaslee, 
John  Simpkinson, 
Louis  Seasongood, 
Alphonso  Taft, 

S.  H.  Taft,  Sen., 

S.  H.  Taft,  Jun., 

Dr.  J.  W.  Underhill, 
Col.  W.  P.  Wiltsee, 
Levi  J.  Workum. 


It  was  agreed  to  publish  a  catalogue,  with  names  of  por¬ 
traits,  etc.,  to  be  furnished  the  audience  at  cost  price. 

The  Committee  on  Hall  was  instructed  to  procure  badges 
for  the  various  officers  and  members  of  the  committee. 

Mr.  J.  B.  Peaslee  reported  that  the  chorus  from  the  high 
schools  had  a  rehearsal  this  afternoon,  and  the  music  from  this 
source  will  be  grand  and  soul-stirring  and  well  worth  hearing. 
The  names  of  those  taking  part  in  the  music  will  be  given  in 
the  permanent  publications. 

The  hall  for  the  inspection  of  the  great  gallery  of  portraits 
will  be  open  12  M.  Monday,  and  free  to  the  public.  It  will  be 
a  grand  sight  to  see  collected  together  the  faces  of  the  men  and 
women  who  have  made  Cincinnati  what  she  is  in  such  a  brief 
period  of  time. 

Col.  A.  E.  Jones  reported  that  the  speakers  would  be  Hon. 
A.  F.  Perry,  Hon.  Stanley  Matthews,  Dr.  Max  Lilienthal,  and 
General  Durbin  Ward;  and  Judge  Oliver  declined. 

Those  desiring  reserved  seats  must  call  at  once  at  Church’s 
music-store,  where  they  can  be  secured  without  cost.  There 
are  very  few  of  them  left,  but  standing  tickets  will  be  issued, 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


on 

oZ 

which  will  be  good  for  any  reserved  seats  not  occupied  by  eight 
o’clock.  The  meeting  then  adjourned,  to  meet  next  Saturday 
week  to  close  up  matters. 

The  following  programme  was  adopted  by  the  committee : 


PROGRAMME. 

MONDAY  EVENING. 


1.  Chorus  —  “  0  Father,  Hear  Us ," . Winter. 

By  Pupils  of  Woodward  and  Hughes  High  Schools. 

2.  Invocation, . Bishop  I.  W.  Wiley. 

3.  Chorus  —  “  Cantata  Domino ," . Psalm  xcvi. 

By  Pupils  of  Woodward  and  Hughes  High  Schools. 

4.  Address, . Life  and  Services  of  George  Graham. 

HON.  AARON  F.  PERRY. 

r  f  Chorus  and  Solo — “  The  Marvelous  Work," . ‘‘"Creation.” 

’  (Chorus  —  11 A  New  Created  World," . “Creation.” 

By  Pupils  of  Woodward  and  Hughes  High  Schools. 

6.  Remarks, . Gen.  Durbin  Ward. 

7.  “  I  Know  thed  My  Redeemer  Liveth," . Miss  Annie  B.  Norton. 

8.  Chorus  —  “As  the  Heart  Panteth," . Mason. 

By  Pupils  of  Woodward  and  Hughes  High  Schools. 

9.  Remarks, . Rev.  Dr.  Max  Lilienthal. 

10.  Chorus  —  “Now  Elevate  the  Sign  of  Judah," . Hadyn. 

By  Pupils  of  Woodward  and  Hughes  High  Schools. 

11.  Remarks, . Hon.  Stanley  Matthews. 

12.  Anthem  —  “In  Heavenly  Love  Abiding," . Franz  Abt.- 

By  Pupils  of  Woodward  and  Hughes  High  Schools. 

13.  Poetical  Tribute  to  George  Graham, . L.  J.  Cist. 

Read  by  Prof.  John  B.  Peaslee. 

/ 

14.  Permanent  Organization, . Col.  A.  E.  Jones. 

15.  Anthem  —  “Freedom’s  Anthem," . Beethoven. 

By  Pupils  of  Woodward  and  Hughes  High  Schools. 

The  committee  have  had  so  many  unexpected  expenses  that 
it  is  very  necessary  to  have  some  more  funds,  and,  therefore, 
ask  that  all  citizens  who  have  not  thus  far  aided  send  in  their 
contributions  at  once  to  J.  Simpkinson,  No.  89  West  Pearl 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


33 


Street.  At  least  $200  more  will  be  required  to  assure  a  final 
triumph,  such  as  will  reflect  the  highest  credit  upon  Cincinnati. 

Those  having  portraits  of  either  men  or  women  who  have 
been  residents  here  are  earnestly  requested  to  place  them  in  the 
Memorial  Picture  Gallery  till  next  Wednesday,  and  they  must 
be  sent  in  to-day  without  fail. 


The  Association  met  in  the  Gibson  House  June  4th,  Pres¬ 
ident  Simpkinson  in  the  chair;  John  Akels,  secretary. 

The  Committee  on  Permanent  Publication  was  authorized, 
with  full  power,  to  arrange  for  the  publication  of  the  book  of 
the  memorial  services.  Messrs.  Colonel  Jones,  James  R.  Chal- 
len,  John  Akels,  and  Rev.  Thomas  Lee  were  appointed  to  pre¬ 
pare  a  Constitution  and  By-laws  for  permanent  organization. 

It  was  resolved  that  all  the  names  of  members  of  the  com¬ 
mittees  who  have  not  rendered  any  service  be  omitted  from  the 
forthcoming  book. 

On  motion,  a  vote  of  thanks  was  given  to  Chairman  Simp¬ 
kinson  and  Secretary  Akels  for  their  tireless  assistance,  and  that 
the  same  be  engrossed  on  parchment. 

A  vote  of  thanks  was  also  given  to  the  proprietors  of  the 
Gibson  House  for  the  use  of  their  parlors;  to  the  proprietors 
and  reporters  of  the  press  for  their  work ;  to  those  who  contrib¬ 
uted  the  loan  of  portraits;  to  Miss  Annie  Burt  Norton  for  her 
volunteer  aid  at  Music  Hall ;  and  to  the  young  gentlemen  and 
ladies  from  Woodward  and  Hughes  high  schools  for  their  ren¬ 
dition  of  the  choruses,  showing  how  ably  and  well  they  have 
been  trained  bv  their  music-teachers. 

The  friends  of  those  who  had  pictures  at  Music  Hall,  and 
those  gifted  with  biographical  talent,  were  requested  to  at  once 
send  in  their  sketches  of  friends,  with  such  steel-plates,  cuts,  or 
lithographs  as  they  wanted  in  the  forthcoming  book,  to  James 
R.  Ch alien,  No.  30  AVest  Fourth  Street. 


34 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


The  Association  met  at  four  P.  M.,  June  10,  1881,  John 
Simpkinson  in  the  chair;  John  Akels,  secretary. 

Colonel  A.  E.  Jones  reported  a  constitution  for  permanent 
organization,  which  was  considered  article  by  article,  and,  after 
necessary  alterations,  was  adopted. 

The  same  committee  was  instructed  to  report  By-laws  at 
meeting  June  14th. 

The  proposition  of  Col.  A.  E.  Jones  for  publishing  book 
was  unanimously  accepted,  and  the  Committee  on  Publication 
instructed  to  enter  into  written  contract  with  him  according  to 
his  proposition,  the  publishing  committee  to  furnish  all  mate¬ 
rials,  portraits,  etc.,  and  arrange  the  same  ready  for  the  press. 

The  following  committee  was  appointed  to  nominate  officers 
for  the  ensuing  year,  and  to  report  at  meeting,  June  14th:  Rev. 
Thomas  Lee,  John  B.  Peaslee,  James  R.  Challen. 

Adjourned. 


Graham  Memorial  Association  met  June  14,  1881,  in  the 
Gibson  House  parlors,  John  Simpkinson  in  the  chair;  John 
Akels,  secretary. 

Mr.  Simpkinson,  treasurer  for  Graham  Memorial  Services, 
reported  the  receipts  and  expenditures  as  follows: 


Collections  for  the  Graham  Memorial  Services. 


John  Simpkinson, . $5  00 

Wm.  Sumner, .  5  00 

J.  D.  Caldwell, .  5  00 

Jos.  Siefert, .  5  00 

Judge  Oliver, .  5  00 

Colonel  Jones, .  5  00 

Colonel  Goshorn, .  5  00 

J.  B.  Peaslee, .  5  00 

Richard  Woolley, .  5  00 

Edw.  Sargent, .  5  00 

Shipley,  Hoover  &  Co.,  ...  5  00 

Leon  Marks  &  Co., .  5  00 

M.  &  C.  C.  Fecheimer,  ...  5  00 


Snider  &  Hoole, . $5  00 

G.  W.  Bishop, .  5  00 

J.  P.  Gay, .  5  00 

James  Wilde, .  5  00 

Geo.  McAlpin, .  5  00 

Le  Boutillier  &  Co., .  5  00 

C.  R.  Mabley, .  5  00 

Lewis  Snyder  &  Son,  ....  5  00 

John  Church, .  5  00 

Robt.  Mitchell, .  5  00 

Mr.  Tickering, .  1  00 

Jeffras,  Seeley  &  Co.,  ....  5  00 

Chatfleld  &  Wood, .  5  00 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


35 


M.  F.  Force, . $5  00 

Jesse  Collins, .  5  00 

F.  M.  Newton, . 10  00 

Nicholas  Paterson, .  5  00 

•  Dr.  Lilienthal, .  5  00 

Mrs.  Clark, .  5  00 

S.  S.  Smith, . 10  00 

John  Waddel, .  2  00 

Mrs.  Starbuck, .  5  00 

James  H.  Laws, .  5  00 

E.  H.  Pendleton, .  5  00 

Pfirman  &  Pfau, .  5  00 

J.  D.  Lehman, .  5  00 

Wm.  Hobart, .  3  00 

Parker,  Wise  &  Co., .  2  00 

Colonel  S.  D.  Maxwell,  ...  5  00 

D.  J.  Hollis, .  2  00 

W.  E.  Urner, .  2  00 

G.  W.  Neare, . 1  00 

Cash, .  3  00 

G.  Lowenstein, .  2  00 

G.  W.  Jones, .  5  00 

Dr.  A.  E.  Heighway,  ....  5  00 

G.  F.  Meader, .  5  00 

Jas.  Armstrong, .  5  00 

John  Akels, .  5  00 

S.  S.  Davis, .  5  00 

Dr.  W.  H.  Mussv, .  5  00 

Lewis  Seasongood, .  5  00 

Wm.  McMaster, .  5  00 

G.  T.  Loot, .  5  00 

J.  L.  Whetstone,  .  5  00 

F.  D.  S.  Whetstone, .  2  00 

Chas.  Thomas, .  5  00 

Morehead  &  Norton, .  5  00 

B.  F.  Brannan, .  5  00 

Eureka  Insurance  Co., ....  5  00 

Wilson  Bros., .  2  00 

J.  R.  Mills  &  Co., .  2  00 

Gibson  Bros .  2  00 

Wm.  Glenn  &  Son, .  5  00 

Cincinnati  Gas  Co., .  5  00 

Henry  Kessler, .  5  00 

Stern,  Meyer  &  Co., .  5  00 

Chas.  Jacob,  Jr., .  5  00 

Hon.  R.  M.  Bishop, .  2  00 

Block  &  Co., .  2  00 


Andrew  Erkenbrecker,  .  .  .  $10  00 


F.  G.  Ringgold, .  5  00 

Burnet  House, .  5  00 

A.  Taft, .  5  00 

A.  E.  Burkhardt .  5  00 

C.  H.  Gould, .  5  00 

John  Zumstein, .  5  00 

Wm.  Cappeller, .  2  00 

R.  R.  Springer, .  25  00 

Samuel  Bailey, .  3  00 

Gordon  Shillito, . 10  00 

R.  Simpson, .  5  00 

Geo.  Wilshire, .  5  00 

G.  P.  Griffiths, .  5  00 

Allen  &  Co., . 15  00 

Geo.  Fisher, .  5  00 

Cincinnati  Gas  and  Coke  Co.,  26  24 

A.  D.  Bullock, .  5  00 

F.  Eckstein, .  5  00 

Peter  R.  Neff, .  5  00 

W.  A.  Goodman, .  1  00 

C.  C.  Murdock, .  5  00 

Dr.  C.  O.  Wright, .  1  00 

L.  A.  Staley, .  1  00 

T.  M.  Hinkle, .  1  00 

Dr.  Jos.  Aub, .  1  00 

T.  C.  Campbell, .  1  00 

W.  B.  Williamson, .  2  00 

Jacob  Hoffner, .  5  00 

W.  S.  Cappeller .  5  00 

J.  W.  Underhill, . 10  00 

Samuel  Fosdick, . 15  00 

Jos.  Kinsey, .  5  00 

F.  K.  Lawson, .  5  00 

Edward  Emmerson, .  5  00 

Cal.  W.  Thomas, .  1  00 

Pierce  V.  Butler, . 15  00 

Maynard  French,  Jr.,  .  .  .  .  5  00 

Jos.  Cox, .  3  00 

Wm.  Michie, .  5  00 


$578  24 

Colonel  A.  E.  Jones,  .  .  .  .  100  00 

$678  24 

Amount  paid  for  expenses,  .  591  25 
Cash  on  hand, . $86  99 


JOHN  SIMPK1NSON,  Treasurer. 


36 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


The  Committee  on  Permanent  Organization  reported  as  presi¬ 
dent,  J.  Simpkinson;  secretary,  J.  B.  Peaslee;  treasurer,  Rev.  J. 
M.  Walden. 

On  the  nomination  of  J.  Akels  as  secretary,  that  of  J.  B. 
Peaslee  was  withdrawn,  and  John  Akels  elected  by  acclamation. 

Committee  on  Finance. — James  H.  Laws,  George  W.  Jones, 
Peter  R.  Neff,  George  W.  McAlpin,  and  General  Lewis  Season- 
good. 

On  Entertainment  and  Decoration. — J.  B.  Peaslee,  Dr.  J.  W. 
Underhill,  Judge  C.  R.  Murdock. 

On  Memorials  and  their  Preservation. — S.  D.  Maxwell,  Rev. 
Thomas  Lee,  H.  A.  Ratterman,  James  R.  Challen,  J.  B.  Peaslee. 
On  Music. — G.  F.  Junkerman,  A.  E.  Burnett,  W.  A.  Fillmore. 
On  Speakers. — John  D.  Caldwell,  H.  C.  Powers,  and  Colonel 
J.  Kennett. 

The  By-laws,  as  reported  by  Colonel  A.  E.  Jones,  were  adopted 
seriatim. 

Resolved ,  That  the  names  of  subscribers  to  the  Memorial  Fund 
be  published  in  the  book. 

The  following  persons  present  then  signed  the  constitution 
as  members  of  the  Association  : 

John  Simpkinson, 

John  Akels, 

J.  M.  Walden, 

Thomas  Lee, 

Adolphus  Eberhardt  Jones, 

Joseph  Siefert, 

The  secretary  was  instructed  to  prepare  a  book  for  signatures 
of  citizens  who  desired  to  become  members. 

The  original  committee  then  adjourned  sine  die. 


John  B.  Peaslee, 
H.  C.  Powers,  “ 
James  R.  Challen, 
Wm.  L.  DeBeck, 
John  Kennett. 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


37 


OKGAmzATion* 


CONSTITUTION. 


Article  I. 

This  Society  shall  be  known  as  the  “  Citizens’  Memorial 
Association  of  Cincinnati.” 

Article  II. 

Its  object  shall  be  the  perpetuation  of  the  memory  of  the 
names  and  good  deeds  of  deceased  citizens  of  Cincinnati  and 
vicinity  who  have  contributed  to  its  growth,  prosperity,  wel¬ 
fare,  and  renown. 

Article  III. 

Any  resident  of  Cincinnati  or  Hamilton  County,  Ohio,  and 
vicinity,  may  become  a  member  of  this  Association  by  register¬ 
ing  his  or  her  name  in  a  book  prepared  for  the  purpose,  thereby 
subscribing  to  this  Constitution  and  the  By-laws  thereunder, 
and  agreeing  to  be  governed  by  them,  and  also  to  contribute 
time,  attention,  and  labor  to  promote  its  object  whenever  re¬ 
quired  by  the  Association. 

Article  IV. 

The  meetings  of  the  Association  shall  be  called  publicly  by 
the  president  and  secretary,  and  a  quorum  shall  consist  of  not 
less  than  seven  members. 

Article  V. 

The  officers  shall  consist  of  a  president,  secretary,  treasurer, 
and  chairmen  of  committees.  The  committees  necessary  to  carry 
out  the  object  of  the  Association  shall  have  responsible  chair- 


38 


MEMORIAL  ASSOC  I  A  TION. 


men,  whose  signatures  shall  be  necessary  to  all  bills  expended  by 
their  respective  committees  certifying  to  their  correctness  and 
necessity.  Said  chairmen  shall  preside  at  all  meetings  of  their 
respective  committees.  The  following  shall  be  standing  com- 
mittees. 

1.  On  Finance  and  Property  (five  members). 

2.  On  Entertainments  and  Decorations  (three  members). 

3.  On  Memorials  and  their  Preservation  (five  members). 

4.  On  Music  (three  members). 

5.  On  Speakers  and  Invitations  (three  members). 

Article  VI. 

The  officers  above  named  shall  constitute  an  Executive  Com¬ 
mittee,  with  power  to  transact  all  business  of  the  Association 
ad  interim.  Any  five  of  this  committee  shall  constitute  a  quorum, 
and  no  bill  shall  be  paid  without  the  approval  of  said  committee. 

Article  VII. 

The  rules  governing  this  Association  and  its  committees  shall 
be  those  usually  governing  deliberative  assemblies. 

Article  VIII. 

Any  alteration  of,  or  addition  or  amendment  to,  this  Con¬ 
stitution  may  be  made  by  giving  one  month’s  notice  of  the 
change  in  writing,  and  by  a  majority  of  the  members  present,  in 
good  standing,  voting  in  favor  thereof. 


BY-LAWS. 

Article  I. 

The  officers  and  committees  of  this  Association  shall  be 
elected  yearly,  at  its  annual  meeting  in  June,  for  the  term  of 
one  year,  and  until  their  successors  are  elected.  Unless  other- 
wise  ordered  by  the  Association,  all  elections  shall  be  by  ballot, 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


39 


and  a  majority  vote  of  the  members  present  and  in  good 
standing  shall  Le  necessary  to  a  choice. 

Article  II. 

The  President  shall  preside  at  all  meetings  of  the  Associa¬ 
tion,  and  perform  such  other  duties  as  usually  pertain  to  his 
office.  In  his  absence  the  chairmen  of  committees  shall  preside 
in  the  order  named  in  the  Constitution. 

Article  III. 

The  Secretary  shall  perform  such  duties  as  usually  belong  to 
his  office. 

Article  IV. 

The  Treasurer  shall  receive  all  money  belonging  to  the 
Association,  give  his  receipt  therefor,  and  pay  out  the  same 
only  on  the  order  of  the  Executive  Committee,  countersigned  bv 
the  President.  He  shall  keep  a  correct  account  of  the  receipts 
and  expenditures,  and  make  a  report  of  the  same  to  the  Asso¬ 
ciation  at  each  annual  meeting,  showing  from  whom  funds  have 
been  received,  for  what  purpose  expended,  and  the  balance 
on  hand. 

Article  V. 

The  Finance  Committee  shall  consist  of  live  members, 
whose  duties  shall  be  to  collect  funds  for  the  use  of  the  Asso¬ 
ciation  when  required  by  the  Executive  Committee,  pay  the 
same  to  the  Treasurer,  take  his  receipt  therefor,  and  make  a 
report  at  the  annual  meeting  of  all  money  collected  and  so 
paid  to  the  Treasurer. 

Article  VI. 

The  Committee  on  Entertainments  and  Decorations  shall  con¬ 
sist  of  three  members,  whose  duties  shall  be  to  arrange  for  the 
meetings  of  the  Association  and  superintend  the  decorations  of 
the  hall  where  such  meetings  shall  be  held. 


40 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


Article  VII. 

The  Memorial  Committee  shall  consist  of  five  members, 
whose  duties  shall  be  to  collect  reminiscences  and  biogra  l>h- 
ical  sketches  of  deceased  citizens  who  have  been  prominently 
identified  with  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  this  city. 

Article  VIII. 

The  Music  Committee  shall  consist  of  three  members,  whose 
duties  shall  be  to  secure  music  for  the  Association  when  so 
directed  bv  the  Executive  Committee. 

J 

Article  IX. 

The  Committee  on  Speakers  and  Invitations  shall  consist  of 
three  members,  whose  duties  shall  be  to  secure  speakers  for 
the  meetings,  under  the  direction  of  the  Executive  Committee, 
and  manage  every  thing  connected  with  invitations  to  the  same. 

Article  X. 

The  Executive  Committee  shall  constitute  a  Committee  on 
Membership,  to  whom  all  applications  for  membership  shall  be 
referred. 

Article  XI. 

In  case  of  the  resignation,  death,  or  refusal  to  serve  of  any 

officer  or  member  of  any  committee,  the  vacancy  shall  be  filled 

by  the  President. 

•/ 

Article  XII. 

The  fee  for  membership  shall  be  one  dollar,  to  be  paid  on 
signing  the  Constitution. 

Article  XIII. 

Any  alteration  of,  or  addition  or  amendment  to,  these  By- 
Laws  may  be  made  by  giving:  one  month’s  notice  of  the  change 
in  writing,  and  by  a  majority  of  the  members  present,  in  good 
standing,  voting  in  favor  thereof. 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


41 


*Tbg  Portrait  Gallery* 


Owing  to  the  great  interest  manifested  in  the  large  number 
of  portraits  furnished  the  committee,  it  was  decided,  in  order  to 
give  the  citizens  an  opportunity  to  examine  them,  to  throw  open 
the  doors  of  the  hall  at  twelve  o’clock  M.  of  the  30th.  Accord¬ 
ingly,  when  that  time  arrived,  President  John  Simpkinson  or¬ 
dered  the  doors  to  be  opened,  and  the  waiting  citizens  poured  in. 

The  scene  was  one  never  to  be  forgotten.  The  great  rotunda 
of  the  hall  had  been  transformed  into  one  vast  gallery  of  paint¬ 
ings,  the  entire  walls  and  the  long  temporary  single  ra°ks  through 
the  center  being  covered  by  the  portraits  of  hundreds  of  deceased 
citizens,  of  every  age  and  generation  since  the  first  landing  of 
the  pioneers  at  the  foot  of  Sycamore  Street  in  1788. 

Over  the  main  door  of  the  auditorium  was  the  life-size  pic¬ 
ture  of  George  Graham,  whose  enterprises  and  public  spirit,  in 
life,  gave  the  opportunity  to  do  homage  to  him  and  other  worthies 
who  have  passed  away  for  ever. 

In  the  afternoon  some  three  thousand  people  visited  the  gal¬ 
lery,  while  in  the  evening  all  who  attended  the  exercises  proper 
also  spent  time  admiring  the  great  works  of  art.  Each  picture 
had  a  number  which  corresponded  with  the  one  in  the  catalogue, 
enabling  any  person  to  become  acquainted  with  all  the  faces. 

The  following  is  the  list  of  all  the  portraits: 

1  Anderson,  Thomas  B.  Was  an  old  pioneer  merchant  and  • 

prominent  city  official. 

2  Allen,  George  M.  Born  at  Boston,  Mass.,  August,  1813, 

and  died  February,  1855. 

3  Allen,  Samuel  B.  Born  at  Boston,  Mass.,  1817 ;  died 

October,  1879. 


42 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 


12 


13 


14 


15 


16 

17 


Aub,  Abraham.  Born  in  Forchheim,  Bavaria,  September 
14,  1813,  and  died  November  9,  1879. 

Aydelotte,  Dr.  B.  P.  President  of  “  Old  Woodward.” 
Autenheimer,  Frederick.  Born  in  Wurtemburg,  July 
6,  1793;  came  to  Cincinnati,  1821;  died  April  4,  1867. 
For  over  forty  years  connected  with  the  water- works. 
Abbey,  Mr. 

Anthony,  John  G.  Devoted  his  life  to  science.  The 
friend  and  confidant  of  Agassiz. 

Avery,  Charles  L.  A  prominent  physician  and  an  em¬ 
inent  surgeon. 

Allen,  Marston  (full  life-size).  Pioneer  merchant,  sub¬ 
stantial  friend  of  the  working-man,  and  a  benefactor  of 
the  Ohio  Mechanics’  Institute. 

Burnet,  Isaac  G.  Born  in  New  Jersey,  1785;  came  to 
Cincinnati,  1806;  died  March,  1856.  He  was  clerk  of 
Supreme  Court  of  Hamilton  County;  was  mayor  from 
1819  to  1831. 

Burgoyne,  Judge  John.  Born  in  Jefferson  County,  Va., 
August  11,  1801  ;  came  to  Cincinnati,  1813;  died  May 
17,  1881. 

Bruel,  Samuel.  Born  at  Portsmouth,  England,  in  1790; 
came  to  Cincinnati  by  canal-boat,  1837 ;  and  died  May, 

1864. 

BruEl,  Mrs.  Amelia.  Born  at  Portsmouth,  England,  in 
1794;  came  to  Cincinnati  by  canal-boat,  1837  ;  and  died, 

1865. 

Bailey,  Mica j aii.  Born  in  Prince  George  County,  Va., 
January  1,  1801;  died  November  6,  1876.  He  was  a 
prominent  member  of  the  Sanitary  Commission  during 
the  war. 

Butler,  Joseph  C.  Born  at  Pittsburg,  1823;  came  to 
Cincinnati,  1839;  died,  187-. 

Bartel,  John.  First  merchant  in  Cincinnati. 


18 

19 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

27 

28 

29 

30 

31 

32 

33 

34 

35 

36 

37 

38 

39 

40 

41 

42 

43 

44 

45 

46 

47 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


43 


Betts,  Smith.  Born,  1806;  died,  1881. 

Barr,  Henry. 

Burrows,  J.  A.  D. 

Burrows,  Stephen. 

Butterfield,  Jonas. 

Bromwell,  Mrs.  H. 

Bromwell,  William. 

Bromwell,  Jacob. 

Burnet,  I4ev.  D.  S.  Died  in  Baltimore,  1867.  A  prom¬ 
inent  and  learned  minister  of  the  Christian  Church. 
Bussing,  G.  H.  Banker. 

Bloss,  G.  M.  D.  Of  the  Enquire) \ 

Busch,  H.  F. 

Baldridge,  J.  B. 

Baldridge,  David  A. 

Beak,  Truman. 

Burt,  A.  G. 

Bates,  Clark 
Bates,  Bachel. 

Benson,  G.  L. 

Bodmann,  Ferd.  A  pioneer  merchant. 

Burke,  Bey.  Wm.  A  pioneer  Methodist  minister,  and  for 
many  years  postmaster  of  this  city. 

Blackman,  Dr.  G.  C.  A  distinguished  surgeon. 

Burnet,  Mrs.  Isaac  G. 

Barnwell,  George. 

Ball,  Thomas  C. 

Brough,  John.  War  Governor  of  Ohio. 

Cameron,  William.  Born  in  Cecil  County,  Md.,  1808; 
came  to  Cincinnati  March,  1830;  died  May  26,  1864. 
He  was  a  master  builder. 

Cox,  Mrs.  M.  E.  Mother  of  Judge  Cox. 

Cox,  Dr.  H. 

Corry,  William,  M.  The  “  Commoner.” 


44 


MEMORIAL  ASSOC T A  TION. 


48  Clark,  Rev.  Davis  W.,  D.  D.  Born  at  Mount  Desert, 

Maine,  February  25,  1812;  came  to  Cincinnati,  1852. 
Was  bishop  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Died 
at  Cincinnati,  May  28,  1871. 

49  Ckeagh,  John.  Born  at  Baltimore,  Md.,  1802;  came  to 

Cincinnati,  1812;  and  died,  1879. 

50  Creagh,  Mrs.  John.  Born  at  Baltimore,  Md.,  1802; 

came  to  Cincinnati,  1820;  and  died,  1878. 

51  Calvert,  George  H.  Born  in  Newport,  R.  I.,  May  10, 

1807;  came  to  Cincinnati  January  1,  1832;  and  died 
January  16,  1861. 

52  Cox,  W.  R.  Born  August  4,  1829,  in  Kentucky;  came 

here  at  quite  an  early  age;  died  September  23,  1873. 
He  was  a  celebrated  painter  in  his  day. 

53  Curtis,  Dr.  Alva.  He  was  known  to  all. 

54  Carr,  Mrs.  Colonel  Francis.  Born  in  England,  1790; 

died  in  Cincinnati,  1874. 

55  Carr,  Colonel  Francis.  Died  in  1833,  aged  54  years. 

56  Carey,  Cephas.  Born  in  New  Jersey,  June  5,  1775; 

came  to  Cincinnati,  1790;  furnished  General  Wayne’s 
army  with  supplies;  died,  1868. 

57  Chapman,  Dr.  W.  B.  Born  in  Philadelphia,  June  5, 

1813;  came  to  Cincinnati,  1835;  died  October  9,  1874. 

58  Cameron,  Robert.  Born  in  Maryland,  1810;  came  to 

Cincinnati,  1832:  accidentally  killed  by  the  falling  of 
Trust  Company  Bank,  1855. 

59  Curtis,  L.  G.  The  founder  of  the  Cincinnati  Commercial. 

60  Cady,  David  K.  Thirty  years  a  member  of  School  Board. 

Born  May  31,  1794;  came  here,  1824;  and  died  April 
23,  1868. 

61  Coleman,  R.  L. 

62  Crossman,  “  Friend”  William.  Came  to  Cincinnati  in 

1814;  died  here  in  1863.  He  was  a  prominent  and  lead¬ 
ing  Friend,  and  an  honest  public  official. 


MEMO  11 1 A  L  ASSOC  [A  TTOX. 


45 


63  Caldwell,  James.  Father  of  John  D.  Caldwell. 

64  Challen,  Rev.  James.  Born  in  New  Jersey,  January 

29,  1802.  Welcomed  Lafayette  in  1825.  He  was  the 
elder  of  the  first  Baptist  Church  in  Cincinnati.  Died 
December  9,  1878. 

65  Caldwell,  Mrs.  James.  Mother  of  John  D.  Caldwell. 

66  Corwine,  R.  M.  Of  the  firm  of  Corwine,  Hayes  &  Rogers. 

67  Cobb,  Samuel.  A  pioneer  undertaker. 

68  Caldwell,  Judge  W.  B.  A  great  lawyer  and  jurist. 

69  Crossman,  Mrs.  Jane  V.  Wife  of  Win.  Crossman.  A 

pioneer  mother  of  the  Friends.  Mother  of  Mrs.  O.  Ott, 
Mrs.  W.  B.  Chapman,  Mrs.  Blatchford,  and  Mrs.  Dr.  N. 
B.  Marsh. 

70  Churchill,  Simeon.  Father  of  F.  A.  and  A.  W.  Churchill, 

and  brother  of  David  Churchill. 

71  Cravens,  Mrs.  Sarah. 

72  Culbertson,  Captain  J.  C.  Merchant  and  banker. 

73  Davis,  Mrs.  Ann.  Born  in  Wales,  April,  1797 ;  came  to 

Cincinnati,  July,  1818.  She  walked  from  Philadelphia 
to  Pittsburg,  and  from  there  with  her  colony  from  Wales 
floated  on  a  raft  to  Cincinnati.  Died  October  3,  1879. 

74  Doherty,  Dr.  George  A.  Born  in  Cincinnati,  January 

18,  1829;  graduated  at  St.  Xavier,  1849;  and  the  Ohio 
Medical  College,  1852.  He  held  many  offices,  and  was 
twice  elected  coroner.  Died  March  13,  1873. 

75  De  Camp,  Harvey. 

76  De  Camp,  Mrs.  Harvey. 

77  Drake,  Dr.  Daniel.  A  prominent  physician,  and  author 

of  “  Pictures  of  Cincinnati  in  1815.” 

78  Dodson,  W.  B.  An  old  pioneer. 

79  Draper,  Joseph.  Born  1801 ;  came  here  1832;  died,  1864. 

He  was  the  first  silver- ware  manufacturer  and  jeweler  on 
Fourth  Street. 

80  Dennis,  Mrs.  Ittdia  B. 

7  * 


46 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


81  Delorac,  Alex. 

82  Duvall,  John,  merchant. 

83  Duvall,  Mrs.  Fanny. 

84  Emerson,  Jonathan.  Born  in  Vermont,  May  7,  1802; 

came  to  Cincinnati,  1814;  died  March  7,  1873. 

85  Eckert,  Thomas  Frank.  Born  in  Kentucky,  1809;  came 

to  Cincinnati,  1824;  died  December,  1878. 

86  Eggleston,  Darius.  Born  in  New  York,  July  25,  1821 ; 

came  to  Cincinnati,  1847;  died  November  13,  1877. 
Long  a  merchant  of  prominence. 

87  Ernst,  A.  H. 

88  Este,  Judge  D.  K.,  a  distinguished  lawyer  and  jurist. 

89  Fiedeldey,  J.  C.  Merchant,  and  long  a  member  of  city 

council. 

90  Frank,  A.  W.  Born  January  12,  1813,  in  Germany;  came 

to  Cincinnati,  1831;  died  June  17,  1867.  He  was  long 
a  prominent  grocer. 

91  Finley,  Gen.  James. 

92  Finley,  Mrs.  Jane. 

93  Fee,  Eulalie.  Born  in  Kentucky  1820. 

94  Forbus,  John  F.  Born  at  Baltimore,  August  4,  1804;  came 

here  April,  1836,  and  died  October  29,  1876. 

95  Flint,  Hezekiah.  Born  1774;  he  was  the  first  emigrant 

to  Ohio;  died  1843. 

96  Finch,  Lieutenant  D.  Born  in  Cincinnati  1836,  and 

died  1861.  A  gallant  soldier  for  the  Union. 

97  Fisher,  Colonel  S.  S.,  the  great  patent  lawyer,  president 

of  the  School  Board,  whose  untimely  death  by  drowning 
in  the  Susquehanna  River,  some  years  since,  cast  such  a 
gloom  over  the  city. 

98  Fugate,  Thomas. 

99  Foote,  Dr.  John  P. 

100  Gtjelioh,  Jacob,  one  of  the  earliest  German  pioneers. 

101  Guelich,  Jacob. 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


47 


102  Guelich,  Joseph. 

103  Guelich,  John. 

104  Gans,  Daniel.  Born  November  17,  1780;  came  to  Green 

Township,  1816,  and  died  October  14,  1865. 

105  Guiou,  D.  B.  Born  March  4,  1801 ;  came  to  Cincinnati, 

1815;  died  November  4,  1868. 

106  Gest,  Rebekah.  Born  Jnly  15,  1791,  in  Lancaster  County, 

Pennsylvania;  came  to  Cincinnati  in  1818;  died  Febru¬ 
ary  24,  1869. 

107  Gest,  Joseph.  Born  March  4,  1776,  in  Lancaster  County, 

Pennsylvania;  came  to  Cincinnati  in  1818;  died,  1863. 
He  was  a  prominent  official  and  business  man. 

108  Goodin,  James.  Born  in  Philadelphia,  1800,  came  to 

Cincinnati,  1825;  died,  1872.  This  portrait  was  taken  in 
1836'. 

109  Goodin,  Mrs.  James.  This  portrait  was  taken  in  1836. 

110  Gano,  General  J.  S.,  a  distinguished  officer  in  the  Indian 

War  and  War  of  1812,  under  General  Harrison,  and  one 
of  the  original  pioneers  of  Losantiville. 

111  Gano,  Mrs.  Rebecca. 

112  Gano,  Aaron  Goforth.  Born  in  Cincinnati;  was  a  cadet 

at  West  Point,  and  was  in  the  War  of  1812,  under 
Jackson. 

113  Gano,  Mary  Goforth.  Came  to  Cincinnati  in  1788;  died, 

1837;  daughter  of  William  Goforth,  first  judge  in  Cin¬ 
cinnati. 

114  Gano,  Dr.  J.  A. 

115  Gibson,  Mrs.  Peter.  Born  in  Scotland  in  1802;  came  to 

Cincinnati,  1831;  died,  1878.  She  was  the  friend  of  the 
poor  wounded  Union  soldiers  during  the  War. 

116  Graham,  George.  Cincinnati  knows  his  history. 

117  Guilford,  Nathan.  One  of  the  founders  of  the  public 

schools.  Born  in  Massachusetts,  1785  ;  died  in  Cincinnati, 
1854. 


48 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


118  Gurley,  Hon.  John  A.,  long  a  prominent  minister  of  the 

Universalist  Church;  for  several  terms  member  of  Con¬ 
gress  from  this  State ;  first  governor  of  Arizona;  an  earnest 
friend  and  honest  man. 

119  Gano,  Major  Daniel. 

120-159  Hopple,  Caspar  and  Wife,  early  .pioneers,  who  were' 
known  and  honored  by  all.  Parents  of  Dr.  James,  Mat- 
thew,  and  R.  B.  Hopple. 

121  Hoffner,  Jacob,  Sen.,  the  father  of  our  well-known  citizen. 

122  Hoffner,  Mary  M.,  wife. 

123  Harwood,  Edward. 

124  Harwood,  Mrs.  Julia. 

125  Hanselmann,  Christopher  F.  Came  from  Wurtemberg 

July  18,  1817.  Hanselmann  Commandery  of  Masons 
was  named  in  his  honor.  He  died  July  18,  1874. 

126  Hanselmann,  Mrs.  C. 

127  Henshaw,  George. 

128  Hall,  James  C. 

1  29  Hopkins,  Henry  Elliott.  Born  July,  1799 ;  came  to  Cin¬ 
cinnati,  1802;  died  October  6,  1865. 

130  Hopkins,  Rebecca  S.  Born  June  19,  1804,  came  to  Cin¬ 

cinnati  1812. 

131  Haines,  Colonel  E.  H. 

132  Hulse,  Ebenezer.  Born  in 'New  York;  came  to  Cincin¬ 

nati,  1810;  was  in  public  office  for  forty  years.  He  raised 
the  first  flag  on  the  old  court-house  for  General  Harrison. 
Long  marshal  of  this  city. 

133  H  URDis,  Rev.  Adam.  The  first  Swedenborgian  minister 

west  of  the  mountains. 

134  Hurdis,  Mrs.  Adam.  Wife  of  the  above. 

135  Hubbell,  Mrs.  Martha  Perry.  An  early  pioneer  mother. 

136  Hospe,  A.  J.  A  German  pioneer. 

137  H  all,  Ezekiel  and  Wife.  The  former  was  born  in  1780, 

and  was  prominent  here  for  many  years. 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


49 


138  Heighway,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Allison.  Born  in  Cincin¬ 

nati,  February  13,  1791,  and  died  here  January  10,  1866. 
A  noble  pioneer  mother,  of  Revolutionary  ancestors, 
she  lived  to  see  Cincinnati  grow  in  population  from 
only  a  few  hundred  to  more  than  two  hundred  thousand 
people. 

139  Hubbell,  Thomas  B.  Died  in  1856. 

140  Hotchkiss,  E.  Born  in  Connecticut,  1778;  came  to  Cin¬ 

cinnati,  1819;  died  1858;  mayor  of  Cincinnati. 

141  Hall,  S  amuel  Parker.  Born  in  Cincinnati,  1814 ;  died 

1866. 

142  Headixgton,  Judge  N.  A  graduate  of  Lexington  Col¬ 

lege,  and  was  a  judge  of  Common  Pleas  Court  1861-1865 ; 
died  1870. 

143  Herron,  Joseph.  Born  October  8,  1809;  came  to  Cincin¬ 

nati  1830;  died  March  25,  1863.  A  prominent  educator 
and  the  founder  of  Herron’s  Academy 

144  Hinkle,  Philip.  Manufacturer. 

145  Hill,  Dr.  F.  D.  For  many  years  a  prominent  druggist 

of  Cincinnati. 

146  Harrison,  E.  The  first  man  that  ever  opened  a  free  school 

in  Cincinnati. 

147  Heinshimer,  Joseph  A. 

148  Hexwelder,  Johanna  Maria.  Born  in  Ohio,  1781 ;  the 

first  white  child  born  in  the  State. 

149  Hollenshade,  J.  C. 

150  Hollenshade,  Mrs.  Lucinda, 

151  Hilton,  John,  the  educator  and  pioneer  teacher  of  Cincin¬ 

nati,  who,  with  George  Graham,  Elam  P.  Langdon  and 
Nathan  Guilford,  secured  the  passage  of  the  Ohio  School 
Law. 

152  Irwin,  William. 

153  Irwin,  Mrs.  William. 


50 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


154  Jones,  Col.  Frederick  C.,  of  the  24th  O.  V.  Infantry. 

He  was  prosecuting  attorney  of  Cincinnati  at  breaking 
out  of  the  war;  was  captain  and  aid-de-camp  on  Gene¬ 
ral  Bates’s  staff;  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  31st  Ohio,  and 
by  request  of  General  Ammen  transferred  to  the  24th 
Ohio,  and  was  afterward  promoted  to  the  colonelcy  for 
gallantry  at  Shiloh ;  was  killed  while  leading  a  charge 
at  Stone  River,  December  31,  1862. 

155  Johnston,  George  W.  C.  Born  and  raised  in  Cincinnati. 

He  was  mayor  for  four  years;  was  a  prominent  merchant 
and  public-spirited  gentleman. 

156  Jonas,  Joseph,  an  early  Hebrew  pioneer,  and  one  of  the 

first  watchmakers  in  the  city. 

157  Jones,  John  D.  Born  in  Bucks  County,  Pennsylvania, 

December  8,  1797;  came  here  1819.  He  was  a  wholesale 
dry-goods  merchant  fifty  years;  prominent  in  public  mat¬ 
ters;  died  August,  1878. 

158  Jones,  Mrs.  Caleb. 

159  Jones,  Mrs.  D.  Elliott. 

160  Johnston,  Wm.  S. 

161  Keck,  George.  Born  in  Westmorland  County,  Pennsyl¬ 

vania,  1808;  came  to  Ohio  in  1820,  and  to  Cincinnati, 
1846;  died  December  14,  1864. 

162  Kemper,  Mrs.  Caleb. 

163  Krell,  Father,  the  old  Lutheran  minister;  father  of  Mrs. 

General  James  Morgan  and  Mrs.  Frank  G.  Jobson. 

164  Kent,  Geo.,  an  old-time  merchant. 

165  Kent,  Mrs.  Luke. 

166  Law,  Dr.  John  S.  Born  March  21,  1800;  died  January 

12,  1877.  He  was  agent  of  the  Royal  Insurance  Com¬ 
pany  from  1852  to  1877. 

167  Lafferty,  James. 

168  Lawson,  Fenton.  Born  in  England  ;  came  to  Cincinnati 

1814;  started  business  in  1817,  and  died  in  1853. 


MEMO  111  A  L  ASSOC  T A  TION. 


51 


169  Latta,  A.  B.,  inventor  of  steam  fire-engines. 

170  Lotze,  Adolph. 

171  Lewis,  Samuel,  the  chosen  friend  of  Win.  Woodward;  a 

philanthropist  and  friend  of  the  poor  slave;  died  1854. 

172  Lovell,  Oliver  S.  Born  in  Cincinnati,  April  15,  1821; 

died  February  3. 

173  Lovell,  Oliver. 

174  Lytle,  Gen.  Wm. 

175  Lytle,  Mrs.  Gen.  Wm. 

176  Lytle,  Gen.  Robert  T. 

177  Lytle,  E.  H. 

178  Lytle,  Gen.  Wm.  H.,  a  gallant  soldier,  an  accomplished 

scholar,  and  a  true  gentleman;  colonel  of  10th  Ohio; 
promoted  to  brigadier-general,  and  killed  at  Chicka- 
mauga,  September  19,  1863,  while  leading  his  brigade. 

179  Ludwig,  Ciias. 

180  Ludwig,  Mrs.  Catherine. 

181  Lawrence,  Josiah,  an  old  and  honorable  merchant. 

182  Ludlow7,  Israel,  one  of  the  1788  pioneers;  came  here  as 

surveyor  under  John  Cleves  Symmes;  died  in  1804. 

183  Litherbury,  John,  pioneer  boat  builder. 

184  L’Hommidieu,  S.  S.,  a  prominent  railroad  man. 

185  Laws,  Daniel,  clerk  with  J.  &  J.  Slevin. 

186  Lewis,  A.  H.  superintendent  Ohio  and  Mississippi  Railroad. 

187  Moore,  R.  M.  Born  near  Belfast,  Ireland,  1816;  came 

to  Cincinnati,  1832;  died  1880;  was  mayor  two  years;  was 
a  liberal,  generous  citizen,  and  the  news-boys’  benefactor. 

188  Meader,  Daniel  F.  Born  at  Baltimore,  Maryland,  1801; 

came  to  Cincinnati  1822  ;  ’was  president  of  council,  and 
was  a  Avorthy  citizen  ;  died  October  29,  1877. 

189  Mayer,  Joseph  P.  Born  at  Hagerstown,  Maryland,  Sept. 

13,  1818;  came  to  Cincinnati  1832;  died  July  8,  1870. 

190  Morris,  Wm.  R.  Born  in  Butler  County,  O.,  1799,  and 

died  May  5,  1859  ;  a  prominent  attorney. 


52 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


191  Maynard,  Aaron  Warren,  an  old  pioneer;  died  August 

25,  1875. 

192  Miller,  Geo.  C.  For  many  years  the  leading  carriage 

manufacturer  of  the  West. 

193  Mich  ie,  Wm. 

194  McMakin,  Gen.  John.  Born  April  27,  1804,  in  England; 

came  here  in  the  Spring  1810,  and  died  June  12,  1879. 

195  Martin,  Sarah.  Born  in  Wiscasset,  Maine,  July  4,  1779; 

came  to  Cincinnati  1843;  died  1858. 

196  Matthews,  Thomas  J.  Born  at  Leesburg,  Virginia,  1787 ; 

died,  1852. 

197  Meyer,  Jacob. 

198  Morrow,  Dr.  T.  V. 

199  Morehead,  Dr.  John.  For  many  years  a  resident  of  this 

city,  who  afterward  succeeded  to  an  English  title  and 
estates  in  Ireland. 

200  Morehead,  Mrs.  Dr.  John. 

201  Mussey,  R.  D.,  M.  D.,  LL.  D.  Born  June  3,  1780,  in 

New  Hampshire;  came  here  in  1838,  and  died  in  Boston, 
June  21,  1866.  Prominent  surgeon  of  America.  Picture 
by  Morse,'  the  inventor  of  the  telegraph. 

202  Mussey,  Mrs.  Dr.  R.  D. 

203  Mussey,  Dr.  R.  D.  Bust,  modeled  from  life. 

204  Martin,  John. 

205  Moody,  Wm.  The  first  white  male  child  born  in  Cincin¬ 

nati  ;  born  in  log  cabin  near  the  corner  of  Fourth  and 
Main,  1790;  died  here  1879. 

206  Mears,  Daniel  H. 

207  Military  Group.  A  Clermont  County  boy  and  his  general. 

208  Merrill,  Wm.  S.  Born  in  New  York,  1798;  came  here 

in  1814,  and  died  1880. 

209  Mendenhall,  Dr.  Geo.  A  distinguished  physician  and 

obstetrician. 

210  Morris,  Bishop  Thomas  A.  Bishop  of  the  M.  E.  Church. 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


53 


211  MoIlvane,  C.  P.  Distinguished  divine,  and  bishop  of  the 

Episcopal  Church. 

212  Marsh,  Dr.  N.  B. 

213  Neff,  Wm.  An  old  merchant. 

214  Neff,  Geo.  W.  Born  in  Philadelphia;  came  to  Cincinnati 

about  1830;  died  here  1850.  A  leading  merchant. 

215  Neff,  Mrs.  Geo.  W. 

216  Neff,  Peter.  A  prominent  and  successful  merchant. 

217  Netter,  Jacob.  Born  in  France,  1812;  came  here*  in 

1847  ;  died,  1874.  He  was  a  prominent  merchant. 

218  Netter,  Mrs.  A. 

219  New-Year’s  Address,  1815. 

220  Nettleton,  N.  J.  >■ 

221  Owens,  Owen. 

222  Oliver,  Dr.  David. 

223  Ogden,  Jas.  K.  Born  in  New  Jersey,  1793;  came  to  Cin¬ 

cinnati  1814;  died,  1869. 

224  Orange,  Wm.  Came  to  Cincinnati  1825;  died,  1862. 

225  Orange,  Mrs.  Wm. 

226  O’Shaughnessey,  Thomas. 

227  Potter,  Jos.  F. 

228  Pierce,  Captain  Joseph. 

229  Price,  Rees  E.  Born  in  England,  August  12,  1775;  came 

to  Cincinnati,  June,  1807,  and  died  June  20,  1877. 

230  Parker,  Israel.  Of  the  old  “  Rovers.” 

231  Pancoast,  Jonathan.  Born  in  1767 ;  came  here  in  1806; 

died,  1859.  Pioneer  Association  was  organized  in  his 
house. 

232  Peebles,  Joseph  R.  For  many  years  a  prominent  grocer. 

233  Parry,  General  A.  C.  Born  December  15,  1828;  died 

December  16,  1866.  Was  a  gallant  soldier;  was  elected 
treasurer  of  the  county  after  the  close  of  the  war;  died 
soon  after  entering  upon  the  duties  of  his  office. 

234  Powell,  Wm.,  Sr.  Inventor. 


54 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


235  Pertiy,  Wm.  For  half  a  century  a  leading  citizen. 

23(3  Poor,  Henry  W.  Born  and  raised  in  Cincinnati,  and  for 
many  years  one  of  our  most  honored  merchants. 

237  Purvis,  Adam.  Born  October  3,  1796,  in  Glasgow,  Scot¬ 

land;  died  in  Louisville,  October  11,  1872.  A  very  old 
citizen. 

238  Pierce,  Thomas.  Born  in  Chester  County,  Pennsylvania, 

August  4,  1786 ;  came  here  1813;  was  a  merchant  for  many 
vears,  and  died  1850. 

239  Peter,  Geo.  A.  Prominent  merchant,  and  son  of  Captain 

Peter,  formerly  commander  of  Fort  Washington. 

240  Powers,  Hiram.  Celebrated  sculptor,  formerly  a  resident 

of  this  city. 

241  Pace,  Henry,  Sr.  Merchant. 

242  Patterson,  Andrew.  Died  June  25,  1854. 

243  Price,  Mrs.  Saraii.  Born  in  Pennsylvania,  1790;  came  to 

Cincinnati,  1792;  died,  1860. 

244  Quinton,  E.  J.  For  many  years  teller  of  the  Franklin  Bank. 

245  Quinton,  Littleton  L. 

246  Rupp,  Mrs.  C. 

247  Robinson,  Colonel  A.  M.  Born  in  this  country,  1826; 

prominent  in  public  affairs;  died  January  3,  1876. 

248  Rand,  Robert.  Born  in  London,  1789 ;  died,  1861.  Super¬ 

intendent  City  Water-works. 

249  Ray,  Dr.  Jos.  The  great  scholar,  teacher,  and  math¬ 

ematician. 

250  Ray,  Mrs.  Dr.  Jos. 

251  Ross,  Joseph.  Known  as  “  Uncle  Joe.”  For  many  years 

an  active  member  of  the  city  council ;  an  honest  man. 

252  Resor,  Wm.  Cincinnati,  1811  ;  died  April  3,  1876. 

253  Resor,  Jacob.  Came  to  Cincinnati,  1811,  and  founded  the 

house  of  Resor  &  Co. 

254  Resor,  Mrs.  Margaret. 

255  Roedter,  Henry.  The  “Old  Squire.” 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


55 


256  Snelbaker,  David  T.  Born  at  Philadelphia,  August  6, 

1804;  came  to  Cincinnati,  1833.  He  was  an  active  mem¬ 
ber  of  the  Independent  Fire  Department,  member  of 
School  Board  and  Council,  magistrate  and  mayor. 

257  Strader,  P.  W.  Born  in  Cincinnati,  and  died  in  1880. 

Member  of  Congress. 

258  Strait,  Thos.  J. 

259  Shafer,  Mrs.  R. 

260  Shafer,  Henry. 

261  Stephenson,  Wm. 

262  Smith,  Silas.  Born  in  Massachusetts,  1808;  came  to  Cin¬ 

cinnati  1817;  died,  1850.  He  was  one  of  the  “  sixty-feet 
Smiths.” 

263  Spader,  P.  P.  An  old  Cincinnatian. 

264  Spader,  Mrs.  R.  P. 

265  Spencer,  E.  M.  Born  and  raised  in  this  city. 

266  Speer,  Hannah. 

267  Seiter,  George.  Born  June  21,  1802,  at  Baden,  Ger¬ 

many;  died  March  3,  1865. 

268  Smith,  Peter.  Born  in  Maryland,  1803;  came  here  1829; 

died,  1864.  An  old  merchant. 

269  Smith,  Mrs.  Peter.  Born  in  Baltimore,  1804;  came  here 

with  above,  1829;  died,  1862. 

270  Staughton,  Dr.  J.  M. 

271  Strader,  Captain  J.  One  of  the  most  public  spirited  cit¬ 

izens  of  Cincinnati. 

272  Spencer,  O.  M.  When  a  boy  was  captured  here  by  In¬ 

dians  and  held  by  them  as  a  prisoner  for  several  years. 
When  ransomed,  returned  home  and  lived  nearly  fifty 
years  as  one  of  our  most  prominent  citizens. 

273  Stout,  Solomon.  Born  in  North  Carolina,  1787  ;  came  here 

1811  ;  died,  1865. 

274  Storer,  Judge  Bellamy.  The  great  lawyer  and  jurist. 

275  Symmes,  John  Cleves.  Original  proprietor  of  Cincinnati. 


56 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


276  Speer,  Edith  S. 

277  Speer,  James  H. 

278  Strong,  Egbert.  City  Solicitor. 

279  Symmes,  Judge  Daniel. 

280  Symmes,  Mrs.  Judge  Daniel. 

281  Saffin,  Judge  Jas. 

282  Saffin,  Mrs.  Judge. 

283  Shillito,  John.  The  merchant. 

284  Shields,  Edward  W.  Manufacturer. 

285  Shields,  Francis.* 

286  Shotwell,  Geo.  H. 

287  Thomas,  N.  W.  Merchant,  and  mayor  of  Cincinnati,  1857 

to  1859. 

288  Taylor,  John.  Merchant. 

289  Thompson,  John'L.  Fire  commissioner. 

290  Taft,  S.  H. 

291  Taft,  Eobert.  Family  tree. 

292  Taliaferro,  Dr.  W.  S.  A  hero  of  1812-1813. 

293  Torrence,  Joseph. 

294  Torrence,  Geo.  P.  Born  1782;  came  to  Cincinnati  1806; 

died,  1855. 

295  Torrence,  Mrs.  Geo.  P. 

296  Tate,  Dr.  E.  H.  He  gave  his  life  in  aiding  the  suffer¬ 

ers  at  Memphis  in  1878. 

297  Thorp,  Chas.  W.  Born  at  Cincinnati,  1813;  died,  1868. 

298  Tiley,  Mrs. 

299  Tatem,  H.  C. 

300  Urner,  David. 

301  Underwood,  Erastus. 

302  Vattier,  Dr.  J.  L.  An  eminent  physician;  a  prominent 

Mason,  known  and  beloved  by  all. 

303  Van  Hamm,  Judge  W. 

304  Vaughan,  Prof.  David. 

305  Williamson,  Geo.  F. 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


57 


306  Wolf,  Abraham.  Born  in  Friedelsheimer,  Bavaria;  came 

to  Cincinnati  in  1833,  and  died  May,  1865. 

307  Wilson,  James.  Father  of  Mrs.  A.  D.  Bullock,  Mrs.  Dr. 

Miller,  and  Hon.  J.  B.  and  F.  Wilson. 

308  Woodruff,  A.,  Sr. 

309  Woodruff,  A.,  Jr. 

310  Wheeler,  Dr.  B.  D. 

311  Wood,  George. 

312  White  Barton.  Born  at  Littleton,  N.  H.,  January  18, 

1805 ;  died  February  17,  1856.  He  had  furniture  ware- 
rooms  from  1830  to  1850. 

313  Walker,  J.  H. 

314  Wiggins,  Samuel.  Merchant. 

315  Williams,  Micajah  T.  Born  in  North  Carolina,  1792; 

came  to  Cincinnati  1812.  He  was  a  prominent  public 
man ;  speaker  of  General  Assembly ;  aided  in  building 
the  canals  connecting  Lake  Erie  and  Ohio  River,  con¬ 
structing  over  four  hundred  miles  of  canal. 

316  Wood,  Col.  Ira.  An  old  and  highly  esteemed  citizen  and 

public  spirited  man. 

317  Wright,  John  J. 

318  W ood ward,  W.  His  monument  is  the  High  School  which 

bears  his  name. 

319  Whetstone,  John.  Pioneer  of  1792;  died,  1874. 

320  Whetstone,  Julia  M.  Came  to  Cincinnati  1793 ;  died,  1869. 

321  Whetstone,  F.  D. 

322  Waggoner,  John,  Sr.  Fifty-three  years  a  resident. 

323  Waggoner,  John,  Jr. 

324  Wood,  John.  Born  in  Maryland  1778;  came  here  1806; 

died  March  7,  1860. 

325  Wood,  Mrs.  John. 

326  Wright,  Dr.  M.  B.  Long  a  prominent  physician;  born 

November  10,  1803;  came  here  1838,  and  died  August 
15,  1879. 


5 


MEMORTA  L  ASSOC  1 A  TIOX. 


58 

327  Williamson,  J.  P.  Born  in  Cincinnati,  January  2,  1815; 

died  here  in  1861. 

328  Wilbur,  Rev.  P.  B. 

329  Wood,  Tiios.  A  distinguished  surgeon  and  physician. 

330  Williamson,  J.  T. 

331  Williamson,  Mrs.  S.  B. 

332  Wilson,  J.  L.  A  pioneer  and  teacher,  and  for  thiry-six 

years  pastor  of  First  Presbyterian  Church;  died,  1846. 

333  Wade,  David  E.  The  founder  of  the  Wade  family,  who 

did  much  toward  the  prosperity  of  Cincinnati. 

334  Wade,  Judge  Nehemiah. 

335  Wade,  Gen.  M.  S. 

336  Worthington,  Mary.  A  pioneer  mother  of  1806. 

337  Whitcher,  AY.  C.  Died  May  27,  1863,  an  honored  mer¬ 

chant. 

338  Zinn,  Peter.  Attorney. 

339  Zeigler,  M.  One  of  the  pioneer  pork-packers;  died,  1878. 


MEM ORIA  L  ASSOCIA  TION. 


59 


*$emm  at  w.um  Rail* 

MAY  30,  1881. 


All  necessary  preparations  having  been  completed,  early  in 
the  evening  the  capacious  hall  began  to  rapidly  fill,  and  before 
the  hour  for  the  opening  of  the  exercises  it  was  densely  packed 
by  one  of  the  largest  and  most  intelligent  audiences  ever  gath¬ 
ered  in  its  walls.  All  classes  of  our  citizens  were  represented, 
for  to  all  of  them,  in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  was  the  memory 
of  George  Graham  dear;  and  when,  at  eight  o’clock,  President 
John  Simpkinson  rose  and  called  the  meeting  to  order,  the  great 
auditorium  presented  a  scene  of  surpassing  interest.  On  the 
stage  were  Mayor  Means,  Hon.  S.  Matthews,  Judge  Murdock, 
Judge  Force,  General  Durbin  Ward,  Rev.  Max  Lilienthal,  John 
D.  Caldwell,  T.  F.  Baker,  J.  P.  Carbery,  Chas.  Thomas,  Wm. 
McCammon,  W.  A.  Sackett,  Colonel  A.  M.  Robinson,  D.  F. 
Baker,  Hon.  S.  F.  Hunt,  Jacob  Hoffuer,  Joseph  Siefert,  Judge 
M.  W.  Oliver,  Hon.  David  H.  Bailey,  B.  H.  Simmonds,  Jesse 
Collins,  M.  D.  Osgood,  Colonel  A.  E.  Jones,  Major  J.  A. 
Remley,  Thomas  Asbury,  Samuel  Blair,  “Pick”  Russell,  H.  C. 
Powers,  John  Akels,  and  others. 

The  civic  and  benevolent  orders  of  our  city  were  also  largely 
represented,  members  of  the  following  societies  being  present : 
Lafayette  and  Hoffuer  Lodges  of  Masons,  Masters  of  all  Ma¬ 
sonic  Lodges  in  the  city,  Cincinnati  Pioneer  Society,  Soldiers’ 
and  Sailors’  Memorial  Association,  Cincinnati  Historical  Soci¬ 
ety,  Cincinnati  Horticultural  Society,  Representatives  Chamber 
of  Commerce  and  Board  of  Trade,  Society  Natural  History, 
Officers  of  Spring  Grove  Cemetery. 


00 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


In  the  rear,  on  the  stage,  and  in  full  view  of  the  audience 
were  the  following  young  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  Woodward 
and  Hughes  High  Schools : 


Soprano  (Woodward). 


Mary  Blankenbuhler, 
Lizzie  Vouchtenburg, 
Flora  Farrelly, 

Delia  Bernard, 

Lulu  Wehrmann, 
Isabella  Miller, 

Lillie  McDonald, 

Anna  Thiesing, 

Birdie  Hymes, 

Minnie  Wessel, 

Hattie  Sehohl, 

Minnie  Brown, 

Mamie  Littsler, 

Daisy  Stoddard, 

Mary  C.  Maley, 

Edith  Mickleborougli, 
Jenny  Foster, 

Laura  Seeman, 

F.  Thompson, 

Hattie  Cole, 

Minnie  Webb, 

July  Balz, 

Hattie  Bing, 


Nellie  Goodrich, 
Mollie  Kinsley, 
Lillian  Miller, 


S.  Hamburger, 
Mattie  Goebel, 
Nellie  Williams, 
A  die  Moffet, 
Mamie  Pabst, 
Lillie  Short, 
Abbie  Dodson, 
Ina  Curry, 

Mary  Tompkins. 
Emma  Williams, 
Addie  Mclntire, 
Clara  Baur, 

Anna  Baur, 


Olga  Schneider, 

C.  Schneider, 

Annie  Farrelly, 

May  Holdt, 

Paul  Summers, 
Luella  Davis, 

Nannie  McKrell, 

Ida  Reum, 

Rosa  Teum, 

Clave  Gooch, 

Emma  Shiner, 

Josie  Clinch, 

May  Poliquin, 

L.  McCracken, 

Mary  Lowry, 

Laura  Horst, 
Matilda  Jeup, 

Rosa  Mayer, 

Emma  Krais, 

Clara  Parnell, 

Ella  Krehbiel, 

Lulu  Brennan, 

Mary  C.  Jones, 

Soprano  (Hughes). 

Emma  Bork, 

H.  Green  fielder, 
Mary  Bordle, 

Alto  (Woodward). 

Celia  Elzner, 

Fannie  Watkins, 
Alice  Stanage, 

Hattie  Crofton, 
Emma  Hay, 

Mollie  Diehen, 
Jenny  Foster, 

Lillie  Northman, 
Minnie  Doppler, 
Esther  Murray, 
Emma  Bishop, 
Jennie  Benman, 


Madge  Stewart, 

P.  Bachman, 

A.  Brinkman, 
Marg’th  Lietze, 
Birdie  Cranston, 
Agnes  Thompson, 
Flora  Diehl, 
Leona  Adams, 
Louisa  Orr, 

Mary  Huddard, 
Katie  Frazer, 

May  Metzler, 

Ida  Harris, 

Annie  Carlisle, 
Bessie  Cole, 

Stella  Hobbs, 
Albertina  Loust, 
Addie  Bark  us, 
Lizzie  Stanley, 
Nannie  Challen, 
Minnie  Sease, 
Estella  Longley. 


Clara  Williams, 
M.  Fruhauf, 
Jennie  Jelke. 


Jenny  C.  Block, 
Delia  Robertson, 
Amy  How, 

Elsie  Thomas, 
Matilda  Buhl, 
Addie  Wolf, 

Ida  Byard, 
Emma  Berman, 
Louisa  Keck, 
May  Bohling, 
Ella  Adams, 
Lillie  Johnston. 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


61 


Alto  (Hughes). 


Luty  Ogden, 

Alma  Orr, 

Susie  Spencer, 

Lizzie  Worth, 

Hattie  F.  Hunt, 

I.  Pappenheimer, 

Clara  Gazley, 

Sallie  Freiberg, 

Carrie  Smith, 

Ella  Bradford, 

Blanche  Stout, 

Belle  Ozler, 

Louisa  Conley, 

Lillie  Morris, 

Lydia  Ashcraft, 

Minnie  Mvder, 

Belle  Levy, 

Stella  Bauer, 

Katie  Prather, 

Mary  Truesdale, 

Emma  Townley, 

Clara  Ringold, 

Florence  Sparks, 

Lizzie  Miller. 

Katie  Rliule, 

Fannie  Kohnkey, 

Walter  Doers, 

Tenors  (Woodward). 

Ed.  Ad.  Leopoldt, 

Charles  Butler, 

Clifford  C.  Meyer, 

S.  Oppenheimer, 

Louis  Drach, 

Wm.  Galtz, 

Ed.  Hoffheimer, 

Willie  O’Niel, 

Fred  Grier, 

G.  Kattenhorn, 

Eugene  Nye, 

Howard  Miller, 

Wm.  Fillmore, 

Henry  O’Brien, 

S.  M.  Fechlieimer, 

C.  Pinkard, 

L.  Brinsselbush, 

W.  Williams, 

John  Koch, 

Oscar  Stark, 

D.  Goldfoyle, 

E.  P.  Freeman, 

II.  L.  Loge, 

Albert  Swartz, 

H.  Breshhaus, 

Edward  Bassler. 

Wm.  Bullman, 

A.  Summerfield, 

Tenors  (Hughes). 

< 

Joseph  Adler, 

Morris  Sachs, 

Harry  S.  Joseph, 

Sam  Kaufman, 

Ed.  Bettman, 

Jos.  Levy. 

Chas.  Henderson, 

Bassos  (Woodward). 
Wood  Walter, 

A.  Hopkins, 

Alex.  Fraser, 

Wm.  Silverlenz, 

W.  L.  Porter, 

Geo.  Perkins, 

S.  Starke, 

Ad.  Pfau, 

Henry  Cone, 

Wm.  Besuden, 

F.  Deipsbach, 

Harry  Halt, 

Louis  Striper, 

J.  S.  Grisard, 

Geo.  Walker, 

- Clerihue, 

Wm.  Schmill, 

Geo.  Youell, 

Jessie  Keisall, 

Fr.  Kearn, 

Frank  Cole, 

Bart.  Cavagna, 

L.  H.  Spillard, 

C.  Morthens, 

Jesse  Roberts, 

B.  J.  Jeup, 

John  Beall, 

Arthur  Iloldt, 

J.  Benshausen, 

Allen  Davis, 

R.  Box, 

R.  Werner, 

Chas.  Eberle, 

Geo.  Hobsond, 

Geo.  Ehlers, 

F rank  Hummell , 

Frank  James, 

Moses  Hazeltine, 

W.  Forchheime, 

L.  Rutherford, 

Y.  Gentry. 

Frank  Longley, 

Fremont  Hill, 

Bassos  (Hughes). 

W.  H.  Scott, 

Wm.  Davis, 

Sam.  Allen, 

Wm.  Conn, 

Calvin  Dickey, 

Chas.  Bradford, 

Abraham  Bauh, 

D.  T.  Wright, 

Wvlie  Cord, 

Wm.  Hordley, 

S.  Swortz. 

J.  W.  Workman, 

Chas.  Anderson, 

62 


MEMO  III  A  L  ASSOC  1 A  TION. 


Solo  Singers. 

Miss  Maggie  Gough  (teacher),  Miss  Jeup  (pupil  of  Woodward), 

Mr.  Theodore  Meyder,  Miss  Stella  Hobbs  (pupil  of  Hughes), 

Miss  Emma  Glatz,  Mr.  Fremont  Hill  (pupil  of  Hughes), 

Mr.  Ed  Orr,  Mr.  Joseph  Adler  (pupil  of  Hughes). 

Miss  Lutie  Ogden, 

Orchestra, 

First  Violin — Professor  IT.  J.  Brusselbach,  Mr.  Baur,  Professor  Wendell 

Schiel. 

Second  Violin — Professor  J.  L.  Zeinz,  Mr.  Yozt,  Professor  Victor  Williams. 

The  chorus,  “O  Father,  Hear  us,”  was  beautifully  rendered 
by  the  pupils  of  Woodward  and  Hughes  High  Schools ;  after 
which  Rev.  Hr.  Walden,  in  the  absence  of  Bishop  Wiley, 
pronounced  the  following 

INVOCATION. 

Almighty  God,  our  Heavenly  Father,  we  come  into  thy  pres¬ 
ence  this  evening  with  prayer  and  thanksgiving,  remembering 
that  thou  art  the  giver  of  every  good  and  every  perfect  gift,  and 
that  it  is  through  the  well-ordering  of  thy  providence  we  are 
permitted  to  meet  here  under  circumstances  of  such  great  mercy. 
We  come  before  thee  to-night  with  praise  and  thanksgiving  for 
all  that  thou  hast  been  pleased  to  bestow  upon  us  in  thy  Prov¬ 
idence.  We  thank  thee  that  we  can  come  here  and  lift  our 
thoughts  and  our  hearts  to  thee,  even  to  thee,  Great  God,  our 
Creator,  our  Preserver,  our  Redeemer,  and  our  bountiful  Bene¬ 
factor.  Wilt  thou  accept  our  praise  and  thanksgiving  now? 
And,  O  Lord,  we  would  invoke  thy  blessing  upon  us,  to  exert 
our  best  powers  on  this  occasion.  We  implore  thee  to  give  us 
thy  favor.  Let  thy  blessed  Spirit  direct  the  exercises  of  this 
hour.  We  praise  thee  that  at  the  close  of  this  day,  when  the 
nation  has  gathered  around  the  graves  of  our  departed  heroes, 
and  has  remembered  them  with  loving  friends,  that  vTe  can  come 
here  to-night  and  turn  our  thoughts  to  those  who  have  been 
active  in  the  past  in  the  rebuilding  of  our  city,  in  leading  in  all 
public  enterprises,  in  directing  in* all  those  movements  that  have 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


63 


resulted  in  so  large  a  meed  of  prosperity.  We  praise  thee  that 
in  coining  before  thee  onr  service  is  an  acceptable  service.  Thou 
hast  taught  us  in  thy  Word  that  there  are  those  who  have  done 
noble  work  in  the  past,  thou  hast  given  us  in  thy  own  Word  a 
record  of  grand  and  glorious  lives,  and  thou  wouldst  have  us 
cherish  their  memory.  So  in  these  services  to-night,  in  bringing 
the  memories  of  those  engaged  in  measures  for  promoting  our 
city’s  prosperity,  who  plowed  and  labored  for  the  advancement 
that  has  come  to  us,  their  children,  we  bless  thee  that  our  serv¬ 
ice  is  acceptable  to  thee  ;  and  therefore  we  lift  our  thoughts  to 
thee,  beseeching  thee  that  thou  wilt  let  thy  favor  be  upon  us, 
and  so  direct  the  thoughts  of  those  who  shall  address  us,  and 
direct  the  services  of  this  hour,  that  we  may  appreciate  those 
grand  men  who  labored  in  the  past  and  built  more  wisely  than 
they  knew. 

And  now,  Lord,  let  thy  Spirit  come  upon  our  hearts,  and 
help  us  to  cherish  with  the  deepest  sentiment  of  gratitude 
those  who  have  been  honored  by  thy  providence  in  the  advance¬ 
ment  of  taste  and  art  and  science,  as  we  live  amid  these  bless¬ 
ings,  and  remember  what  they  have  done.  May  our  hearts  be 
filled  with  gratitude  to  thee.  May  we  see,  through  thy  provi¬ 
dence,  in  society  and  in  the  lives  of  our  best  men,  who  worked 
well  in  their  day  and  generation,  thy  directing  hand.  Let  thy 
favor  still  be  upon  us.  Accept  our  praise  and  thanksgiving  for 
the  measure  of  prosperity  that  has  been  bestowed  on  us  as  a 
city,  and  for  the  men  whose  noble  lives  have  done  so  much  to 
advance  those  interests.  May  we  with  firmness  of  purpose,  as 
citizens,  go  forward  in  the  life  in  which  they  started,  and  cling 
to  those  things  that  have  thy  favor  and  approval,  and  put  away 
those  things  that  have  thy  disapproval ;  and  so  advance  in 
science,  morals,  and  every  thing  that  will  make  us  strong,  and 
mighty,  and  worthy  before  thee.  And  we  will  give  all  the 
praise  to  thee,  our  Creator  and  Redeemer,  now  and  forever 
more.  Amen. 


64 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


Then  followed  the  “  Cantata  Domino,”  sung  by  the  pupils, 
after  which 

HON.  AARON  F.  PERRY 

delivered  the  following  address  on  the  life  and  character  of  Mr. 
Graham  : 

Mr.  President  and  Citizens  :  On  the  first  day  of  March 
last,  George  Graham,  having  overlived  his  eighty-second  year, 
ceased  to  appear  among  us.  He  was  born  in  November  of  the 
year  1798,  in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania.  He  became  a  citizen 
of  Cincinnati  at  the  age  of  twenty-three.  His  life,  characterized 
by  intelligence  and  public  spirit,  prolonged  beyond  the  reach  of 
antagonisms,  had  touched  at  many  points  the  welfare  and  pride 
of  the  city. 

He  fixed  his  residence  in  Cincinnati  in  1822.  This  citv  then 
became  the  base  of  his  business  operations,  various  in  kind  and 
extended  to  great  distances,  such  as  the  building  of  steamboats 
for  the  Cincinnati  and  New  Orleans  trade,  the  furnishing  of 
supplies  to  United  States  troops  at  Prairie  du  Chien  and  Fort 
Snelling,  the  manufacture  of  machinery  and  transmitting  it  to 
Mexico.  His  biographer  says  that  “  in  his  day  Mr.  Graham 
was  undoubtedly  the  boldest  and  most  enterprising  man  in  the 
West,  and  during  the  early  years  of  Cincinnati  was  a  leader  and 
chief  counselor  in  municipal,  commercial,  and  all  classes  of  large 
undertakings.” 

My  own  inquiries  corroborate  this  statement.  Bearing  in 
mind  the  condition  of  Cincinnati  at  that  time,  and  the  relations 
it  held  to  the  great  central  valley  of  the  continent,  the  fact  stated 
places  George  Graham  at  an  early  age  in  a  position  of  distinct 
and  large  influence.  It  implies  a  train  of  interesting  associations 
which  can  not  be  described  without  transgressing  the  limits  of  the 
occasion.  It  discloses  at  once  one  of  the  secrets  of  the  memories 
and  affections  which  cluster  about  his  name.  In  1825  happened 
the  memorable  visit  of  Lafayette  to  the  West,  and  to  this  city 
as  the  leading  city  of  the  West.  The  demonstrations  which 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


65 


attended  that  visit  in  honor  of.  the  great  Frenchman  who  helped 
to  achieve  the  independence  of  the  United  States,  can  not  be 
portrayed.  Preparatory  to  the  reception,  Mr.  Graham,  then  in 
the  third  year  of  his  citizenship,  became  one  of  the  corporators, 
and  assisted  to  organize  a  Masonic  Lodge,  which  was  named  the 
Lafayette  Lodge  of  Cincinnati.  As  Master  of  the  Lodge,  lie 
conducted  the  Masonic  ceremonies  incident  to  the  reception,  and 
made  the  welcoming  speech.  The  illustrious  guest  honored  the 

occasion  bv  an  able  address  to  the  brethren  of  the  order.  To 

•/ 

the  persons  engaged  in  this  reception,  and  the  people  who  saw 
it,  it  was  the  event  of  a  lifetime.  George  Graham  became  thus 
promptly  conspicuous  in  the  public  hospitalities  of  the  city. 

Mr.  Graham’s  career  was  primarily  a  business  career.  It  ex¬ 
tended  to  a  great  variety  of  business  engagements,  a  fair  propor¬ 
tion  of  which  are  understood  to  have  been  prosperous.  They 
placed  him  in  a  condition  as  to  property  and  comfort  which  ap¬ 
pears  to  have  been  satisfactory  to  himself,  and  which  left  him  at 
liberty  to  consult  his  own  inclinations  in  the  employment  of  his 
time.  Among  the  business  engagements  which  distinguished 
him  were  his  relations  to  the  water-works  of  Cincinnati,  to  the 
Whitewater  Canal,  and  to  a  projected  canal  around  the  Falls 
of  the  Ohio  Fiver,  on  the  north  bank,  at  and  near  the  city  of 
Jeffersonville,  Indiana. 

In  his  business  engagements,  it  is  the  concurring  testimony 
of  all  my  sources  of  information,  that  public  spirit  and  public 
interest  were  largely  mingled  in  his  motive  of  action.  He  took 
risks  on  transactions  connected  with  public  interests  which,  in  a 
mere  private  and  personal  venture,  would  not  have  been  encoun¬ 
tered.  This  trait  of  his  character,  showing  itself  distinctly  in 
the  events  of  a  long  and  successful  business  career,  drew  to  him 
the  confidence  and  regard  of  the  people  of  the  city.  In  many 
such  transactions  he  shared  the  difficulties  and  business  results, 
so  far  as  they  were  personal,  with  other  citizens  who  are  grate¬ 
fully  remembered.  I  would  be  glad  to  adorn  my  tribute  to 


G6 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


George  Graham  with  many  shining  names  of  the  men  of  his 
day,  but  it  would  not  be  within  my  limits.  It  would  be  diffi¬ 
cult  to  recall,  except  to  those  who  shared  them,  the  human  in¬ 
terests  and  surroundings  of  the  period  in  which  they  lived.  Nor 
is  it  needed.  Their  praises  have  become  popular  traditions,  and 
are  best  commemorated  by  the  attendance  of  this  immense 
assemblage. 

If  public  interest  was  a  feature  in  Mr.  Graham’s  business 
transactions,  you  would  naturally  expect  to  find  him  character¬ 
ized  by  public  spirit  outside  of  his  business.  All  accounts  con¬ 
cur  that  in  this  particular  he  was  the  same  in  all  situations. 

My  information  is  that  during  the  active  part  of  his  life  he 
took  a  larger  share  in  the  hospitalities,  public  festivities,  and 
popular  demonstrations  than  any  other  man  in  Cincinnati.  To 
repeat  the  expression  of  one  of  my  informants,  a  man  long 
known  in  business  circles,  “The  people  knew  Mr.  Graham,  and 
on  such  occasions  they  would  have  him.”  He  is  described  as 
apparently  indifferent  to  popular  favor,  and  as  doing  nothing  to 
court  it.  All  accounts  agree  in  ascribing  to  him  the  utmost 
genuineness  of  character,  an  almost  supernatural  antipathy  to 
shams  of  every  kind.  Sometimes,  when  surrounded  and  hin¬ 
dered  by  a  net-work  of  insincerities,  his  indignation,  breaking 
through  restraints,  would  pour  upon  them  a  volcanic  stream  of 
red-hot  contempt.  On  such  occasions  he  could  find  words  to 
make  pretenders  turn  pale  and  despise  themselves.  The  right 
purposes  of  the  man,  his  genuineness  in  all  times  and  places, 
his  courage,  gave  him  a  degree  of  popularity  and  power  une¬ 
qualed.  There  remains  to  be  mentioned,  in  connection  with  his 
business  capacity,  his  public  spirit,  his  genuineness,  and  his 
courage,  a  high  and  constantly  increasing  intelligence.  One  of 
my  informants,  who  knew  his  private  habits,  thinks  that  the 
ruling  tendency  of  his  mind  was  “curiosity,”  using  the  word  in 
the  sense  of  a  desire  to  investigate,  to  understand  correctly,  to 
know.  He  was  disinclined  to  accept  statements  or  opinions 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


67 


under  circumstances  where  it  was  possible  to  investigate  for 
himself.  He  was  slow  in  his  beliefs.  In  the  words  of  my  in¬ 
formant,  “  He  investigated  much  and  believed  little.”  This 
description  imputes  to  him  a  moral  attitude  which  is  the  first 
condition  of  a  successful  scientific  inquiry.  My  informant  men¬ 
tioned  another  characteristic,  which  mav  be  called  the  condition 
next  in  order.  It  was  a  hunger  of  mind  which  spared  neither 
pains  nor  expense  to  be  correctly  informed  on  the  subject  under 
inquiry.  It  is  unnecessary  to  say  that  with  such  characteristics, 
accompanied  by  long  life  and  opportunity,  Mr.  Graham  must 
have  been  a  highly  intelligent  man.  My  information  is  that  he 
was  intelligent,  in  a  high  and  broad  sense  of  the  word. 

When  he  came  to  Cincinnati,  steam,  as  a  driving  power,  was 
almost  new.  He  was  practically  connected  with  its  application 
in  his  business  transactions.  His  mind  was  of  a  grade  which 
could  not  easily  loose  its  hold  of  such  a  theme.  It  was  under 
his  procurement  and  suggestion  that  Mr.  A.  B.  Latta,  an  ingen¬ 
ious  Cincinnati  mechanic,  added  to  former  combinations  a  me¬ 
chanical  device  which  made  the  steam  fire-engine  a  success,  and 
revolutionized  the  method  of  dealing  with  fires  in  towns  and 
cities.  Here,  also,  his  public  spirit  came  in  play.  As  chairman 
of  the  Committee  of  the  City  Council  on  the  Fire  Department, 
he  gave  Mr.  Latta  a  guaranty  that,  if  he  made  a  success  the 
city  would  buy  his  machine,  and  on  failure  of  success,  that  he 
should  be  indemnified  from  loss. 

Mr.  Graham’s  tastes  led  him  to  a  considerable  knowledge 
of  mechanism  and  the  principles  on  which  mechanical  devices 
act.  His  most  interested  studies,  however,  were  directed  to 
geology,  botany,  and  kindred  branches  of  natural  science.  He 
made  an  early  study  of  the  fossils  in  the  limestone  hills  sur¬ 
rounding  Cincinnati,  and  the  geological  features  of  the  general 
formation.  A  large  and  interesting  collection  of  fossils  made 
by  him  was  unfortunately  destroyed  by  fire.  His  attention  to 
(reologv  was  extended  to  other  and  distant  fields,  and  is  stated 


68 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


to  have  made  him  familiar  with  the  principles  of  the  science. 
The  coal-fields  were  to  him  a  most  interesting  branch  of  the 
general  subject,  and  were  made  a  special  study. 

He  read  much.  His  habit  was  to  buy  books  as  he  needed 
them.  When  they  became  too  numerous  for  convenience  he 
would  sell  them  and  buy  others.  The  idea  of  growth  and 
mental  advancement  controlled  his  selections.  He  was  not  a 
book  fancier.  He  was  not  a  literary  man,  in  the  technical  sense 
of  the  word,  but  wrote  perspicuously  on  a  variety  of  subjects. 

His  productions  sometimes  found  their  way  to  the  public 
through  the  newspapers,  sometimes  in  the  shape  of  pamphlets — 
more  frequently,  perhaps,  as  addresses  to  the  numerous  associa¬ 
tions  of  which  he  was  a  member,  or  as  reports  from  a  committee. 

Mr.  Graham’s  biographer  states  that  “from  1823  until  1866 
Mr.  Graham  was  in  so  conspicuous  a  degree  and  manner  a  suc¬ 
cessful  originator  and  promoter  of  great  enterprises,  public  and 
private,  educational,  industrial,  scientific,  horticultural,  and  agri¬ 
cultural,  that  a  chronological  epitome  of  his  various  undertakings 
and  achievements  is  given.” 

The  list  illustrates  the  range  of  topics  to  which  Mr.  Graham’s 
studies  had  been  directed,  and  also  indicates  that  the  character¬ 
istic  features  of  his  life,  already  mentioned  as  extending  through 
it,  gained  emphasis  as  they  gained  age. 

It  would  be  impracticable  to  state  the  official  positions  held 
by  Mr.  Graham  in  the  numerous  associations  of  which  he  was 
a  member.  Among  the  literary  and  scientific  associations  the 
following  are  a  few  of  the  offices  or  trusts  confided  to  him:  He 
was  fortv  vears  a  trustee  of  the  Cincinnati  College ;  was  also  a 
trustee  of  the  Woodward  High  School  and  of  the  Hughes  High 
School.  He  was  for  many  years  one  of  the  trustees  of  our 
common  schools.  He  was  vice-president  of  the  State  Historical 
Society,  and  president  of  the  Academy  of  Natural  Sciences. 

The  political  opinions  of  Mr.  Graham  were  usually  well  pro¬ 
nounced,  but  I  am  under  an  impression  that  he  was  not  an 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIA TION. 


69 


aspirant  for  political  office.  He  had  been  a  member  of  the  State 
Legislature,  was  often  a  member  of  the  City  Council,  and  was 
seldom  free  from  trusts  and  offices  of  a  public  nature  of  one 
kind  or  another;  but,  if  I  am  correctly  informed,  they  were 
generally  the  joint  result  of  his  recognized  public  spirit  and  of 
his  incomparable  personal  popularity. 

About  the  time  of  his  arrival  in  this  city  a  State  policy  was 
under  discussion  which  had  some  terrors  for  timid  men,  as  it 
implied  increased  taxation  and  a  debt.  One  branch  of  the 
policy  was  to  unite  the  waters  of  the  Ohio  River  with  the 
waters  of  Lake  Erie  by  one  or  more  navigable  canals ;  the 
other  branch  of  it  was  a  system  of  elementary  schools,  open  to 
all  citizens  of  a  suitable  age,  and  supported  by  a  public  tax. 
From  what  I  have  already  told  you  of  Mr.  Graham  you  infer 
that  he  was  a  supporter  of  both  branches  of  the  policy.  He 
took  his  ground  promptly  with  Nathan  Guilford,  Nathaniel 
Wright,  Micajali  T.  Williams,  and  many  more  of  the  men  of 
that  day,  in  favor  of  the  canals  and  the  schools.  When  the 
civil  war  broke  out  its  confusions  did  not  disturb  his  mental 
anchorage.  His  instinctive  impatience  with  shams  carried  with 
it  faculties  for  detecting  them.  He  saw  in  its  early  stages 
unnumbered  young  men,  the  hope,  the  flower,  the  valor,  and 
the  ultimate  salvation  of  the  country,  placed  under  the  com¬ 
mand  of  generals  lacking  faith  in  the  cause,  lacking  fidelity  to 
it,  and  lacking  capacity  for  command.  He  saw  that  the  char¬ 
acter  of  the  Union  army  was  in  the  ranks  and  not  in  command. 
He  had  courage  to  anticipate  the  voice  of  history  to  charge 
the  useless  wastes  of  time  and  life  to  the  right  cause,  and  to 
denounce  them. 

When  the  memorable  Western  Sanitary  Fair  of  1863  was 
held  in  Cincinnati,  for  the  relief  of  the  soldiers  of  the  Union 
army,  he  was  in  his  sixty-fifth  year.  He  did  not  leave  the 
responsibilities  of  managing  that  deluge  of  patriotic  impulse 
to  the  young  men.  He  accepted  the  chairmanship  of  three 


70 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION . 


* 


important  committees,  and  was  in  all  respects  one  of  its  most 
effective  officers. 

In  assisting  to  lay  the  foundation  of  the  system  of  common 
schools,  he  looked  upon  it  as  the  surest  guarantee  of  public 
order  on  the  basis  of  free  institutions.  He  never  abandoned 
that  faith.  He  never  ceased  to  insist  upon  their  importance. 
He  attended  their  examinations  and  festivities.  He  studied 
their  methods  and  made  unsparing  endeavors  for  improvement. 
After  he  passed  his  eightieth  year  he  was  an  active  promoter 
of  a  musical  festival  held  in  this  hall,  in  which  the  children  of 
the  public  schools  were  the  actors. 

Plain  in  his  attire,  undemonstrative  in  manner,  he  was  a 
well-organized,  well-preserved  man,  who  at  four-score  years 
might  have  been  taken  for  a  man  of  three-score.  Time  had 
been  gentle  in  her  dealings  with  him.  Her  touch  seemed  more 
like  a  caress  than  an  injury.  His  figure  was  of  medium  height 
and  weight,  and  was  symmetrical.  It  was  surmounted  by  a 
shapely  head,  the  lines  of  which  were  agreeable,  the  features 
distinct,  regular,  and  sculpturesque.  He  would  probably  not 
have  chosen  to  be  described  as  an  elegant  man,  but  his  own 
consent  only  would  have  been  wanting  to  justify  the  description. 
With  insensible  motion  the  high  tides  of  animal  life  were 
lapsing,  while  his  form  and  features  acknowledged  the  modeling 
touch  of  spiritual  forces.  The  higher  and  not  the  lower  nature 
of  the  man  as  victorious. 

\ 

The  chorus  and  solo,  “  The  Marvelous  Work,”  and  “  A  New 
Created  World,”  were  beautifully  rendered  by  the  pupils,  the 
solo  parts  being  taken  by  Mrs.  Matilda  Jeup. 


GEN.  DURBIN  WARD 
followed  with  the  following  address: 


Cities  outlive 
they  live  after  the 


governments.  Civilization  grows  cities,  but 
civilization  which  gave  them  birth  is  dead. 


/ 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


71 


Jerusalem,  Athens,  Rome,  Mexico — where  arc  the  civilizations 
which  produced  them,  and  how  long  passed  away  are  the  govern¬ 
ments  which  first  ruled  them?  And  even  in  our  own  countrv 

%> 

have  not  New  York  and  St.  Louis,  New  Orleans  and  San 
Francisco,  young  as  they  are,  owed  allegiance  to  successive 
sovereignties  ? 

In  our  Union  all  the  great  cities,  save  Washington,  have 
been  located  by  the  enterprising  pioneer,  and  have  owed  less  to 
the  government  than  the  government  has  owed  to  them.  Their 
sites  have;  been  determined,  their  foundations  laid,  and  their 
superstructures  reared  by  the  sagacious  judgment  and  hardy 
industry  of  the  people. 

The  location  of  all  the  great  cities  of  this  country,  through 
the  whole  existence  of  American  civilization,  is  already  un¬ 
changeably  made.  Of  all  the  hundreds  that  have  sprung  up  in 
the  United  States,  Cincinnati  now  stands,  and  will  always  stand, 
in  the  front  rank.  The  basin  in  which  she  is  situated,  taking 
both  sides  of  the  river,  ere  long  to  be  spanned  by  bridges  at 
every  principal  street,  and  to  become  practically  Cincinnati,  is 
now  seventh  in  weight  of  the  great  centers  of  our  country’s 
population,  and  her  place  is  more  likely  to  rise  than  fall  in 
grade  by  any  future  census.  Cincinnati  is  also  that  city  which 
will  continue  to  lie  nearest  the  center  of  our  national  popula¬ 
tion.  But  whether  we  keep  pace  or  not  with  the  other  great 
cities  in  population  and  wealth,  Cincinnati  is  already  large 
enough  for  all  the  purposes  that  cities  subserve  in  human 
progress  and  happiness.  All  the  material  and  mental  agencies 
found  anywhere,  which  the  high  culture  of  the  age  both  pro¬ 
duces  and  requires,  are  found  in  our  midst.  And  all  this  has 
been  achieved  by  those  who  laid  the  foundations  of  your  city, 
and  those  who  builded  thereon,  in  a  single  life-time.  The  gor¬ 
geous  forest  that  covered  this  goodly  valley  and  crowned  yonder 
picturesque  hills  gave  way  before  the  woodman  and  the  builder; 
cabin  and  church  and  school  arose  as  by  magic.  These  men  of 


72 


MEMORIAL  ASSOC  I  A  LION. 


head  and  hand  and  heart  not  only  made  the  “  wilderness  to 
bloom  and  blossom  as  the  rose,”  but  they  filled  the  new-born 
city  with  the  appliances  of  modern  culture.  Now  your  basin  is 
one  hive  of  industry,  your  river  banks  tied  together  by  bridges, 
your  hill-tops  covered  with  parks  and  palaces,  your  streets 
thronged  with  tramways,  and  your  squares  cooled  by  bubbling 
fountains.  They  have  made  you  the  hand-maid  of  art,  the 
patron  of  literature — America’s  most  illustrious  musician.  You 
write  by  lightning  to  all  the  world,  and  you  talk  by  lightning 
to  your  neighboring  villages. 

It  is  fitting,  ladies  and  gentlemen,  that  we  should  all  occa¬ 
sionally  turn  aside  from  the  thorny  paths  of  toil  and  business, 
or  the  primrose  paths  of  pleasure,  or  even  from  climbing  up 
the  rugged  hills  of  knowledge,  to  recall  the  virtues  and  achieve¬ 
ments  of  those  who  have  gone  before  us.  The  great  dramatist 
said,  “  The  evil  that  men  do  lives  after  them :  the  good  is  often 
interred  with  their  bones.”  For  once  he  was  wrong.  Fortu¬ 
nately  for  mankind,  the  good  that  men  do  does  live  after  them, 
and  the  evil  rarely  does.  The  blemishes  on  great  characters  are 
but  the  tarnish  gathering  on  their  achievements  during  their 
rough  voyage  over  the  sea  of  life;  but  generous  posterity  brushes 
it  off,  and  leaves  the  genuine  metal,  burnished  and  bri  giit. 

Those  whose  memories  we  now  celebrate  doubtless  had  the 

foibles  common  to  humanity;  but  we  forget  them,  and  delight  to 

hold  up  to  the  rising  generation  their  good  deeds,  to  stimulate 

them  to  an  honorable  emulation  of  the  worthv  dead. 

•> 

But,  Mr.  President,  how  shall  one,  at  best  but  a  denizen  of 
your  fair  city,  and  to  whom  so  many  of  the  former  leaders  of 
Cincinnati  life  were  not  personally  known,  appropriately  speak 
their  praises  in  this  presence?  Highly  as  I  appreciate  the  com¬ 
pliment  of  my  selection  to  say  a  few  words  to-night,  those  few 
words  must  be  general ;  for  time  does  not  suffice  to  portray, 
whatever  my  ability  be,  the  salient  points  in  the  character  of 
even  a  single  one  of  our  city’s  galaxy  of  benefactors.  That  noble 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


73 


son,  to  whose  eulogy  you  have  just  listened,  well  deserved  all 
that  was  said.  But  even  Homer  pauses,  in  recounting  the  ex¬ 
ploits  of  his  champion,  to  give  a  muster-roll  of  the  other  heroes 
of  the  story.  Not  even  that  can  be  done  to-night,  except  as  it 
appears  in  the  gallery  of  portraits  around  us.  If  I  were  to  utter 
but  a  word  of  eulogy,  where  could  I  begin  or  end?  To  speak 
only  of  those  it  was  my  good  fortune  to  know,  now  rise  on  my 
memory  the  revered  figures  of  President  Harrison,  of  Judges 
Burnet,  McLean,  Wright,  Este,  Torrence;  and  in  later  days 
those  with  whom  I  came  in  more  immediate  personal  or  profes¬ 
sional  contact,  Chase,  Storer,  Spencer,  Gholson,  Walker,  Corry, 
Pugh,  Pike,  Burgoyne,  Anderson,  Mitchell,  Zinn,  and  the  rest. 
And  in  the  line  of  letters,  Hammond,  Dawson,  Mansfield,  Cutter, 
Fosdick,  and  that  sweet  singer,  Peed.  And  in  schools  and  science, 
Nathan  Guilford  and  George  Graham,  Vaughan  and  Ormsby 
Mitchell.  But,  not  to  be  tedious,  my  military  friends  linger  in 
my  memory  still  more  fondly  and  vividly.  The  two  gallant 
Joneses — Fred  Jones,  the  brother  of  that  valuable  living  citizen, 
Colonel  Jones — and  Will  Jones,  the  son  of  that  good  old  mer¬ 
chant,  John  D.  Jones — the  daring  McCook,  of  that  fighting  fam- 
ilv,  who  shed  more  blood  for  the  Union  than  any  family  in 
America ;  and  also,  nearer  and  dearer  than  any,  my  bosom  friend, 
the  poet-hero,  Lytle.  They  all  fell  by  my  side  on  the  field,  ex¬ 
cept  poor  “murdered”  McCook;  but  they  all  live,  and  will  live, 
in  the  grateful  memory  of  this  city  and  of  their  country. 

Men  of  Cincinnnati,  cherish  in  your  heart  of  hearts,  and  teach 

your  children  to  cherish,  affectionately  the  memory  of  those  who 

have  passed  from  us,  but  by  their  deeds  founded  and  reared 

vour  city’s  greatness,  and  rendered  her  name  famous  at  home  and 

abroad.  Nor  should  you  fail  to  remember  that  the  breed  of  great 

men  is  not  extinct.  Amur  grave-yards  are  not  your  only  estate 

in  high  citizenship.  In  all  the  walks  of  life  you  may  still  be 

proud  of  your  living  as  well  as  your  dead  benefactors.  AAmr 

chronicles  of  living  usefulness,  generosity,  and  distinction  arc 

6 


74 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


already  written  and  being  written.  You  have  presented  the 
government  two  Presidents,  one  Chief -justice  and  two  Jus¬ 
tices  of  the  Supreme  Court.  And  your  chronicler  has  written 
on  his  scroll  of  city  fame,  “  And  he  counted  heroes  as  he  counted 
men,”  the  endearing  names  of  Longworth,  Groesbeck,  Tyler  Da¬ 
vidson,  Probasco,  Julius  Dexter,  George  Ward  Nichols,  Kilgour, 
Sinton,  West,  and  then  blazoned  his  illumined  page  with  this 
lofty  temple  of  music,  graven  with  the  name  of  Reuben  Springer. 

“  I  know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth  ”  was  sung  by  Miss  Ruth 
Jones,  who  was  followed  by 

REV.  DR.  LILIENTHAL, 

who  said  : 

Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen, — I  have  not  per¬ 
sonally  known  the  late  Mr.  Graham.  I  have  not  lived  long 
enough  in  this  city  to  have  known  it  in  its  infancy,  and  to  be 
acquainted  with  ail.  the  struggles  of  the  pioneers  and  their  work, 
the  benefits  of  which  we  are  reaping  to-day.  And  if  I  still 
have  accepted  the  invitation  to  address  you  for  a  few  minutes, 
T  have  done  it  because  I  enthusiastically  approve  the  idea  which 
has  suggested  and  fostered  the  memorial  services  we  are  inaug¬ 
urating  this  evening. 

Man  is  born  to  die.  Our  whole  life  consists  of  seventy  oscil¬ 
lations  of  the  pendulum  between  the  cradle  and  the  grave.  We 
all  know  the  old  adage  of  the  uncertainty  of  life  and  the  cer¬ 
tainty  of  death;  and,  that  we  may  not  forget  it,  in  the  palms 
of  our  hands  has  nature  written  two  M’s — the  memento  mori — 
Remember  that  thou  must  die. 

/ 

“  Still,  man  does  not  like  to  be  forgotten — 

So  strong  the  zeal  t’  immortalize  himself 
Beats  in  the  breast  of  man,  that  even  a  few, 

Few  transient  years  won  from  the  abyss  abhorr’d 
Of  blank  oblivion,  seem  to  be  a  glorious  prize;” 

and  loving,  generous,  and  grateful  hearts  cling  to  the  memory 
of  the  departed  ones ;  they  cherish  it :  to  them  the  heaviest  debt 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


is  that  of  gratitude,  because  it  is  no  longer  in  their  power  to  re¬ 
pay  it.  And,  therefore,  they  contrive  all  possible  means  to  give 
expression  to  that  sentiment  which  links  the  chains  of  beings  to 
each  other,  and  unites  the  dead  past  with  the  living  present  and 
coming  future. 

We  therefore  find  memorial  services  among  all  nations  and 
all  Churches.  The  Hebrews  hold  one  on  their  Sabbath  of  Sab¬ 
baths,  on  the  Day  of  Atonement.  The  Christian  Church  has 
her  All  Souls’  Day;  and  if  we  reach  yet  farther  back  we  find 
the  ancient  Greeks  deifying  their  heroes  and  benefactors — nay, 
almost  worshiping  them ;  and  in  ancient  Rome  they  carried  at 
the  funerals,  before  the  hearse,  the  images  of  the  departed  ones, 
to  impress  on  their  minds  the  features  of  the  departed,  so  that 
love  and  gratitude  may  never  forget  them.  The  human  heart 
was  at  all  times  the  same,  and  it  was  a  good  proposition  to  im¬ 
itate  the  ancient  Romans  by  exhibiting  the  pictures  of  our  de¬ 
parted  friends,  to  be  inspired  by  this  sight,  and  once  more  to 
offer  them  our  tribute  of  a  grateful  remembrance. 

It  is  usually  said  republics  are  ungrateful.  Monarchies  are 
represented  as  rewarding  their  servants  while  alive,  and  honor¬ 
ing  them  with  costly  monuments  when  they  are  dead.  Every 
city  of  importance  on  the  old  continent  is  studded  with  statues 
of  kings  and  emperors,  statesmen  and  warriors,  while  it  is  as¬ 
serted  republics  think  they  have  done  enough  when  they  have 
elected  a  man  to  office.  The  vote  given  is  considered  enough 
reward  and  honor. 

The  statement  is  a  false  one.  Look  at  the  decoration-day  we 
have  celebrated  to-day.  The  wreaths  and  garlands  we  annually 
lay  down  on  the  graves  of  those  good  men  who  have  sacrificed 
their  all  for  their  country — flowers,  mere  flowers  they  are,  but 
they  are  the  tribute  of  a  whole  nation,  the  tribute  of  tearful  love 
and  sincere  gratitude;  and,  though  withering  to-morrow,  they 
are  costlier  than  all  the  monuments  erected  for  services  ren¬ 
dered  only  to  the  crown. 


76 


ME  MORI  A  L  ASSOC  I  A  T10N. 


The  time  is  passing  away  when  only  those  at  the  helm  of  a 
nation  are  honored  and  their  memory  is  celebrated.  We  pray 
that  the  bloody  sword  be  sheathed,  and,  therefore,  we  now  honor 
the  heroes  of  science  and  arts,  the  promoters  of  the  welfare  of 
the  whole  human  race;  and  America,  our  good  and  blessed 
country,  being  second  to  none  as  to  inventions  and  improve¬ 
ments,  vies  with  all  nations  in  honoring  and  cherishing  the 
memory  of  the  really  great  men,  the  real  benefactors  of  hu¬ 
manity. 

J 

But  it  is  not  given  to  every  man  to  influence  the  fate  of  na- 

o  J 

tions  or  of  humanity.  This  is  the  privilege  of  the  select  few. 
But  as  a  country  is  composed  of  provinces  or  states,  and  as 
states  are  composed  of  cities  and  towns,  so  is  there  a  sphere  of 
action  for  many  a  good  man,  where  he  can  show  his  worth,  dis¬ 
play  his  public  spirit,  and  become  by  generous  deeds  a  benefac¬ 
tor  in  his  limited  sphere.  These  count  by  larger  numbers;  their 
benefits  contribute  to  the  success  of  the  whole,  and  their  mem¬ 
ory  can  and  dare  not  be  forgotten ;  they,  too,  have  a  great  claim 
to  our  gratitude  and  remembrance. 

Our  good  city  inaugurates  this  evening,  by  this  memorial 
service,  this  new  departure  in  municipal  history.  Let  us  hope 
that  it  will  be  imitated  all  over  the  country;  it  is  a  good  and 
dutiful  example  we  have  set ;  it  is  worthy  to  be  followed  by 
every  city  in  our  Union. 

It  is  true,  we  come  late;  but  better  late  than  never.  I  can 
not  refrain  from  alluding  to  the  fact  that  public  gratitude  here¬ 
tofore  has  been  wanting.  Wrhen  our  good  Probasco  donated 
the  most  splendid  fountain  in  the  world  to  our  city,  what  ac¬ 
knowledgment  was  offered  him?  When  our  Anderson  endowed 
the  School  of  Design;  when  our  Groesbeck  provided  for  the 
entertainment  of  the  people ;  when  a  few  citizens  created  our 
Zoological  Garden  ;  when  Kilgour  assisted  in  the  erection  of  the 
Observatory  ;  when  Sinton  secured  the  future  of  the  Bethel  In- 
stitute ;  when  McMieken  left  a  princely  fortune  for  a  univer- 


MEMORIAL  ASSOC  [A  LION. 


77 


sity ;  when  our  Springer  contributed  the  largest  portion  to  this 
temple  of  art,  this  Music  Hall ;  when  our  West  so  bravely  laid 
the  foundation  for  the  Art  Museum  (and  who  can  enumerate  all 
the  benefactors  of  our  city?),  what  public  tribute  of  indebtedness 
and  common  gratitude  has  been  offered  to  them?  By  what  act 
did  the  citizens  at  large  show  that  they  do  more  than  appreciate 
these  noble  deeds  of  noble  men — that  they  will  ever  cherish 
their  names  and  never  forget  them  ? 

O,  we  pray  for  your  lives,  ye  good  and  generous  citizens; 
we  pray  that,  for  many,  many  years  to  come,  you  may  continue 
to  be  the  pride  and  honor  of  our  city;  but  from'  this  evening, 
from  this  service,  you  will  take  along  the  assurance  that  when¬ 
ever  you  will  be  called  home  to  your  rest,  you  will  not  be  for¬ 
gotten,  and  your  memory  will  be  honored  by  coming  genera¬ 
tions,  as  your  fellow-citizens  honor  and  revere  you  to-day. 

We  know  what  we  owe  you.  Your  example  and  that  of 
your  predecessors  will  incite  others  to  wheel  into  your  line. 
The  good  example,  Heaven  be  thanked!  is  contagious,  too.  The 
French  have  a  little  star,  a  decoration,  called  “  the  Legion  of 
Honor.”  We  Americans  do  not  care  for  such  stars;  we  care 
only  for  the  stars  of  our  heavenly  born  banner.  But  we  shall 
start  a  Legion  of  Honor — a  legion  of  whom  we  shall  consider 
and  honor  as  our  benefactors,  adorned  with  the  laurels  of  blessed 
peace,  and  whose  memory  shall  ever  be  honored.  This  memo¬ 
rial  service  teaches  us  that  not  every  wealthy  man  is  a  rich 
man.  Rich  and  great  and  good  is  only  he  who  can  count  his 
wealth  by  good  and  useful  actions,  engendered  by  a  public  spirit 
for  the  common  good  of  the  commonwealth. 

This  is  the  lesson  of  this  memorial  service;  and  I  con¬ 
clude  with  the  inspiring  words  of  our  American  bard,  our 
Longfellow : 

u  Lives  of  great  men  all  remind  us 
We  can  make  our  lives  sublime, 

And  departing  leave  behind  us 
Footprints  on  the  sands  of  time!” 


78 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


“Now  Elevate  the  Sign  of  Judah”  was  next  rendered  by 
the  pupils,  following  which 

JUDGE  STANLEY  MATTHEWS 

spoke  as  follows: 

Mr.  President,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen, — It  was  neither 
my  purpose  nor  my  expectation,  in  appearing  here  to-night,  to 
take  any  considerable  part  in  the  published  exercises  of  the 
evening.  I  knew  by  anticipation  what  I  now  know  by  expe¬ 
rience,  that  it  would  be  difficult  for  any  one — impossible  for 
me — to  add  any  thing  to  its  interest,  after  what  you  have  heard 
from  the  distinguished  gentlemen  who  have  already  spoken. 
But  I  felt  that  I  ought  to  be  here  to-night,  because  I  am  a  cit¬ 
izen  of  Cincinnati  [cheers] ;  because  I  am  proud  of  this  citizen¬ 
ship,  and  I  felt  a  special  interest  in  it;  because,  as  is  known  to 
those  who  know  me,  I  was  a  Cincinnati  boy  [cheers],  and  am  a 
Cincinnati  man  [cheers].  More  than  that,  I  am  a  Buckeye  of 
the  second  generation.  The  hearth-stone  of  the  little  log-cabin 
in  which  my  mother  first  drew  her  breath  still  crowns  the  emi- 
lienee  now  within  the  corporate  limits  of  the  city.  [Cheers]. 

We  have  met  to-night  to  celebrate  the  virtues  of  our  ances¬ 
tors.  The  mythology  of  the  Romans  and  of  the  Greeks  made 
the  worship  of  their  forefathers  part  of  their  religion ;  and  in 
the  farther  East  to-day  reverence  for  the  father  and  grandfather, 
and  the  long  line  whom  tradition  hands  down,  make  what  still 
constitutes,  perhaps,  the  only  substantial  part  of  practical  relig¬ 
ion.  To  think  well  of  those  who  are  related  to  us  in  that  way 
seems  part  of  egotism,  as  it  is;  but  it  is  that  rational  and  just- 
minded  self-esteem  which  lies  at  the  bottom  of  self-respect, 
which  is  the  basis  of  all  practical  and  habitual  well-doing.  In 
respecting  those  that  have  gone  before  us,  because  they  have 
left  us  illustrious  examples  which  we  ought  to  follow,  shows  that 
in  some  sense  we  are  worthy  to  succeed  them,  and  furnishes  mo¬ 
tives  for  being  like  them,  if  we  can  not  surpass  them. 

It  is  well,  then,  to  be  here  to-night  in  this  beautiful  temple, 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


79 


in  order  that  we  may  do  proper  reverence  to  those  whom  we 
remember  or  of  whom  we  have  heard.  For  Cincinnati  owes  its 
characteristics,  whatever  they  are,  to  the  characteristics  of  the 
men  and  the  women  who,  from  day  to  day  and  from  year  to  year, 
have  constituted  the  people  of  Cincinnati.  If,  then,  there  have 
been  among  us  any  love  of  art  and  practice  of  it — any  love  of 
science  and  devotion  to  it — any  skill  and  enterprise  and  ingen¬ 
ious  labor,  and  the  product  of  its  industry — any  accumulations 
of  wealth  from  the  practice  of  honesty,  frugality,  fidelity  to  obli¬ 
gations,  public  and  private — these,  which  constitute  the  things  of 
which  we  are  proud  of  ourselves,  are  the  inheritance  which  we 
enjoy  from  those  who  have  gone  before  us.  [Cheers.] 

The  lateness  of  the  hour  admonishes  me  that  I  am  not  at 
liberty  to  enter  into  a  statement  of  the  various  things  which,  in 
my  judgment,  constitute  the  treasures  of  our  memory  and  of  our 
hopes.  I  can  only  enumerate  one  or  two  spheres  of  action  in 
which  I  think  our  fathers  have  excelled. 

Let  me  name,  first,  that  the  people  of  Cincinnati  inherit  a 
system  of  universal  education,  the  foundations  of  which  were 
liberally  planted  by  unselfish  men  who  went  before  us,  and  who 
with  the  eye  of  Providence  could  foresee  what  was  to  come  after 
them  if  they  labored  with  diligence.  The  teachers  of  Cincin¬ 
nati — Harrison,  the  father,  whose  sons  are  here  in  Cincinnati ; 
that  one-armed  enthusiast  from  Scotland,  Alexander  Kinmont,  Dr. 
Joseph  Locke,  Ormsby  M.  Mitchell,  Milo  G.  Williams,  Joseph 
Talbott,  Hr.  Joseph  Ray  [cheers],  Samuel  Lewis,  Nathan  Guil¬ 
ford;  last,  and  I  may  say  it,  not  least,  my  own  father — [cheers] — 
what  would  Cincinnati  to-day,  as  you  see  it  represented,  be  but 
for  these  men?  Another  thing:  Cincinnati  has  always  been  dis¬ 
tinguished  in  this,  that  it  was  never  considered  any  thing  else 
than  honorable  to  labor  for  a  living.  [Cheers.]  I  see  here  to¬ 
night  more  than  one  of  the  honored  and  wealthy  men  of  Cin¬ 
cinnati,  who  began,  not  so  many  years  ago,  at  the  lowest  round 
of  the  ladder,  as  apprentices  and  journeymen,  who  have  dili- 


80 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


gently  and  honestly  worked  their  way  up  step  by  step,  never 
forgetting  that  there,  was  an  indissoluble  eonneetion  between 
labor  and  capital,  by  which  labor  was  the  just  and  rightful 
foundation  of  all  useful  accumulations.  One  other  item :  Cin¬ 
cinnati  has  never  had  reason  to  be  ashamed  of  its  rich  men. 
[Cheers]  There  are  cities  of  which  may  be  said  they  would  be 
improved  by  some  first-class  funerals,  but  here  we  have  the  sat¬ 
isfaction  of  many  examples  of  wealthy  men  who  have  chosen  to 
be  their  executors  in  their  own  life-time.  And  I  will  venture  to 
say,  even  in  his  presence,  that  the  worthy  and  honorable  gentle¬ 
man  to  whose  munificence  we  are  indebted  principally  for  this 
beautiful  home  of  art  and  music  and  science  and  popular  assem¬ 
blage,  that  of  him  it  can  be  truthfully  said  that  he  has  derived 
more  personal  enjoyment  from  the  investment  which  he  has 
made  in  this  building  than  from  anv  of  the  other  investments 
of  his  life.  [Cheers]  There  is  one  institution  of  which  I  desire 
merely  to  make  mention,  as  connected  with  the  line  of  my 
thought — an  institution  which  concentrates  all  these  things, 
popular  education,  skilled  labor  and  capital — which  has  existed 
here  as  long  as  I  can  remember,  and  still  exerts  its  influence. 
I  would  it  were  greater.  I  would  that  its  means  of  influence 
were  greater.  I  mean  the  Mechanics’  Institute — the  nucleus 
of  what  I  think  ought  to  be  a  distinguishing  feature  of  the 
future  of  Cincinnati;  that  is,  a  great  school,  in  which  every  boy 
in  Cincinnati,  no  matter  how  humble  his  parentage,  or  how  poor 
in  circumstances,  might  come  and  freely  acquire  a  knowledge  of 
the  practice  of  some  trade  by  which,  with  the  skill  of  labor,  he 
can  found  his  fortune.  [Cheers]  One  word  more.  It  was  Sir 
Walter  Raleigh  who  said  of  the  aristocracy  of  Great  Britain, 
comparing  them  with  the  potato  plants  which  he  had  introduced 
for  the  first  time  to  the  knowledge  of  the  people  of  England, 
who  boast  only  of  their  ancestors:  “  The  better  part  of  them 
was  under  ground.”  Let  it  not  be  so  with  us.  Let  us  respect 
and  reverence  those  who  have  gone  before  us.  Let  us  do  as  we 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


81 


have  done  to-day.  Go  to  the  graves  of  our  fathers  and  our 
mothers — not  for  the  purpose  of  forgetting  the  future  and  the 
past,  but  for  the  purpose  of  receiving  from  them  the  inspiration 
of  their  lives,  in  order  that  we  may  live  like  them ;  that,  plant¬ 
ing  our  back  to  the  past,  we  may  look  to  the  future,  in  order  to 
build  upon  what  they  have  done  a  superstructure  worthy  of  their 
noble  foundation.  Let  our  motto  be  the  text  from  which  I  once 
heard  a  sermon  from  my  learned  friend  who  spoke  just  before 
me — it  was  on  Saturday — let  our  motto  be  his  text  on  that 
occasion :  “  Speak  to  the  children  of  Israel,  that  they  may  go 
forward.” 

The  anthem,  “In  heavenly  love  abiding,”  was  sung  by  the 
pupils,  at  the  conclusion  of  which  Mr.  J.  B.  Peaslee  read  the 
following  poem,  written  by  Mr.  L.  J.  Cist  : 

In  |tJcmortam. 

George  Graham. 

BORN  NOVEMBER,  1798;  DIED  MARCH  1,  1881, 

Aged  Eighty-two  Years  and  Three  Months. 

He,  too,  is  gone,  who  sixty  years  had  walked 
Our  city’s  long  frequented  thoroughfares ; 

He  who  had  dwelled  here,  when  the  wild  deer  stalked 
Around  its  suburbs  and  their  marshy  meres. 

He  who  had  done  so  much  to  aid  its  growth, 

So  long  a  benefactor  of  the  town, 

Takes  now  his  rest  at  last,  as,  nothing  loth, 

He  lays  fourscore  years  of  burden  down. 

For  him  we  mourn  not !  continuing,  he  has  run  his  race, 
Fulfilled  life’s  duties  nobly  to  the  end. 

Yet  long  we’ll  miss  the  old  familiar  face 

And  genial  smile  and  converse  of  our  friend. 

And  those  who  knew  him  best  will  miss  him  most, 

So  long  a  landmark  of  the  bygone  years. 

How  few  remain  now  where  stood  once  a  host, 

How  brief  this  drama  of  our  life  appears ! 


82 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


The  good  die  not !  this  heritage  they  leave — 

The  record  of  a  life  in  virtue  spent. 

For  our  own  loss,  at  parting  we  may  grieve — 

Lives  such  as  theirs  build  their  own  monuments. 

Permanent  Organization. 

Colonel  A.  E.  Jones  then  delivered  the  following  address: 

Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen, — 

“I  know  not  that  the  men  of  old 
Were  better  than  men  now ; 

Of  heart  more  kind,  of  hand  more  bold, 

Of  more  ingenuous  brow. 

“Still  is  it  true,  and  over  true, 

That  I  delight  to  close 
This  book  of  life,  self-wise  and  new, 

And  let  my  thoughts  repose 
On  all  that  humble  happiness 
The  world  has  long  foregone, 

The  daylight  of  contentedness 
That  on  those  faces  shone.” 

So  sang  the  poet  of  the  men  of  old  ;  and  this  immense  audi¬ 
ence,  composed  of  all  classes,  the  rich  and  the  poor,  the  old  and 
the  young,  of  every  occupation  and  profession  in  life,  who  have 
assembled  on  this  occasion  to  pay  a  tribute  of  respect  to  the 
memory  of  departed  worth,  evinces  the  fact  that  the  people  of 
Cincinnati,  sympathizing  with  the  feelings  of  the  poet,  so  beau¬ 
tifully  expressed,  delight  to  lay  aside  the  cares  and  excitements 
of  the  present  age,  and  let  their  minds  recur  to  scenes  of  days 
long  past,  and  show,  by  their  participation  in  these  memorial 
services,  that  they  are  not  unmindful  of  the  debt  of  gratitude 

/  t’  < _ 7 

they  owe  to  the  noble  men  and  women  who  so  bravely  endured 
the  deprivations  and  perils  of  pioneer  life  in  settling  this  fertile 
valley.  It  is  an  expression  by  our  people  of  their  admiration  for 
the  manlv  energy  and  high  motives  which  induced  them  to  leave 

j  O  J  O 

their  homes  and  seek  others  amid  the  unbroken  wilderness  of 
the  Ohio  Valley — far,  far  away  from  civilized  life — and  for  the 


MEM  OKI  A  L  ASSOC  I A  TION. 


83 


courage  and  fortitude  with  which  they  met  the  dangers  and 
conquered  the  difficulties  which  surrounded  them  and  crossed 
their  paths  at  every  step. 

The  interest  manifested  in  this  meeting  shows,  too,  that  we 
do  not  forget  the  deeds  of  those  who  succeeded  the  pioneers, 
and  have  contributed,  by  their  means,  energy,  and  talents,  to  the 
material  prosperity  of  their  country,  and  have  done  so  much  to 
build  up  and  beautify  this  great  city.  We  have  come  together 
to  do  honor  to  their  memories. 

So  it  will  be  when  the  present  generation  has  passed  away. 
Those  who  come  after  them  will  wish  to  learn  the  story  of 
citizens  who,  through  the  struggles  of  life,  have  contributed  to 
the  prosperity  of  the  country  and  made  this  city  great  as  it 
is,  and  have  been  identified  with  its  present  and  increasing 
growth. 

That  these  facts  may  be  faithfully  recorded  for  the  informa¬ 
tion  and  example  of  future  generations,  it  is  proposed  to  organ¬ 
ize  a  Permanent  Memorial  Association  ;  and  to  this  end  I  beg 
leave  to  offer  the  following  resolutions,  and  ask  their  adoption  : 

Resolved,  That  the  committee  who  have  had  charge  of,  and 
carried  out  so  successfully,  the  Graham  Memorial  Services,  be 
requested  to  adopt  such  measures  at  their  next  meeting,  on  Sat¬ 
urday,  June  4th,  as  are  necessary  to  complete  a  permanent 
organization,  to  be  known  as,  “  The  Citizens’  Memorial  Associ¬ 
ation,”  which  shall  meet  annually  on  the  30th  day  of  May,  or 
on  such  other  day  as  may  be  deemed  most  expedient. 

Resolved,  That  said  organization  be  requested  to  appoint  five 
competent  and  discreet  persons  to  collect  facts  and  write  bio¬ 
graphical  sketches  of  the  public  services  of  such  citizens  as  may 
die  during  the  year,  who  were  prominently  identified  with  the 
interests  of  Cincinnati  and  Hamilton  Countv,  and  file  the  same 
with  the  secretary  of  the  Association,  to  be  read  at  the  next 

V  ' 

annual  meeting  thereafter. 

Some  of  the  purposes  of  effecting  such  an  organization  have 
already  been  mentioned.  There  are,  however,  other  good 


84 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


results  that  will  come  from  it,  if  properly  conducted.  The 
annual  commemoration  of  the  lives  and  worthy  deeds  of  those 
who  have  passed  awav,  will  stimulate  the  vouth  of  our  city  and 
county,  entering  upon  the  active  duties  of  life,  to  so  direct  their 
efforts  as  to  emulate  the  virtues  and  noble  acts  of  those  whose 
lives  may  be  commemorated,  that  they  too  may  be  gratefully 
remembered  when  time  shall  be  no  more  with  them.  They 
will  learn  that  there  is  something  higher  and  nobler  to  accom¬ 
plish  in  life  than  the  mere  acquisition  of  wealth  or  power;  and 
although  it  is  lamentably  true,  in  the  present  day,  that  men 
are  too  frequently  estimated  by  the  size  of  their  bank  accounts 
and  the  value  of  their  bonds,  yet,  when  such  die,  they  are  only 
remembered  as  those  who  accumulated  wealth,  lived  sumptu¬ 
ously  every  day,  but  contributed  nothing  from  their  ample  stores 
for  the  benefit  of  their  fellow-men.  They  die  ;  and  were  it  not 
for  the  towering  monuments  under  which  they  lie,  would  be 
forgotten,  their  places  as  vacant  in  the  hearts  of  their  fellow- 
citizens  as  though  they  had  never  lived. 

Similar  annual  meetings  to  this  will  encourage  the  young  to 
search  the  history  of  the  city  and  county — indeed,  of  the  great 
North-west — where  they  will  learn  at  what  a  fearful  cost  the 

J 

comforts,  privileges,  and  luxuries  they  now  enjoy  have  been 

purchased,  and  will  ever  after  appreciate  them  more  highlv. 

They  will  find  that  it  was  not  merely  to  secure  lands  and  homes 

that  induced  the  fathers  and  mothers  of  the  Ohio  Valiev  to 

* 

leave  all  and  settle  in  the  great  North-west,  amidst  so  many 
dangers;  but  that  there  were  certain  great  principles  and  priv¬ 
ileges  they  longed  to  enjoy,  guaranteed  by  the  ordinance  of 
1787,  the  fundamental  law  which  governed  the  territory.  That 
grandest  of  State  documents  ever  penned  by  man  declared  that 
t‘  religion,  morality,  and  knowledge  being  necessary  to  good 
government  and  the  happiness  of  mankind,  schools  and  the 
means  of  education  shall  forever  be  encouraged.” 

To  secure  these  privileges,  the  ordinance  provided  for  the 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


85 


maintenance  of  free  schools  and  the  support  of  religion.  They 
could  have,  and  were  urged  to,  settle  south  of  the  Ohio,  where, 
from  the  large  settlements,  they  would  have  been  comparatively 
safe  from  the  tomahawk  and  scalping-knife  of  the  savage;  but 
there  an  institution  existed  to  which  they  were  opposed.  In 
the  North-west  this  could  never  exist,  for  the  same  ordinance 
provided  that  there  should  be  neither  “  slavery  or  involuntary 
servitude  in  said  territory,  otherwise  than  in  the  punishment  of 
crimes  whereof  the  party  shall  have  been  duly  convicted.”  They 
chose  rather  to  settle  north-west  of  the  Ohio,  where  all  might 
enjoy  civil  and  religious  liberty,  notwithstanding  the  perils  and 
deprivations  which  threatened  them. 

It  has  been  enunciated  in  one  of  our  grandest  halls  recently, 
by  one  of  the  most  distinguished  lecturers  and  orators  of  the 
nation,  that  the  founders  of  the  republic  were  unbelievers.  I 
know  not  the  individual  views  on  this  subject  of  Thomas  Jeffer¬ 
son  and  John  Adams,  two  of  those  he  mentioned ;  but  when 
we  search  the  records  of  the  Congress  of  1786  and  1787,  we 
find  that  they  not  only  voted  for,  but  were  among  the  most 
earnest  and  able  advocates  of,  the  ordinance  of  1787,  contain¬ 
ing  the  provisions  quoted;  and  they  were  not  men  who  were 
in  the  habit  of  stultifying  themselves  by  preaching  one  doctrine 
and  practicing  another. 

Again,  if  a  permanent  organization  is  effected,  and  a  compe¬ 
tent  and  discreet  committee  appointed  to  write  the  biographies 
of  such  of  our  citizens  as  may  pass  away  during  the  year,  who 
have  been  identified  with  the  various  interests  of  the  city,  there 
will  be,  from  this  time  on,  a  complete  and  reliable  history  of  the 
city;  for  the  lives  and  acts  of  its  citizens  are  its  history.  Had 
such  an  organization  been  formed  in  the  early  davs,  we  should 
not  now  be  compelled  to  grope  for  historical  facts  from  uncertain 
sources,  or  depend  upon  tradition. 

There  are  two  sacred  spots  in  Hamilton  County  I  never  pass 
without  stopping  and  paying  a  tribute  of  respect  to  the  memories 


86 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


of  those  who  lie  buried  there.  The  one,  the  old  Baptist  burying- 
ground  at  Columbia,  where  lie  the  remains  of  Major  Benjamin 
Stites  and  his  associates — the  first  settlers  of  this  county.  There, 
in  that  neglected  spot,  they  rest  from  their  labors;  under  the  rude 
and  toppling  tombstones,  their  graves  covered  with  briars, 

“  A  sacred  band  they  sleep  together, 

While  the  year  comes  with  its  early  flowers  to  deck  their  graves, 

And  gathers  them  again  as  Winter  frowns.” 

The  city  should  secure  it,  provide  for  its  care,  and  forever  keep 
it  sacred.  The  other,  those  mounds  that  meet  the  eye  as  we 
enter  Spring  Grove  Cemetery,  where  rest  a  thousand  gallant 
soldiers  and  sailors  of  the  Union  army  and  navy,  who  shed 
their  blood  that  the  nation  might  live  and  the  principles  of  the 
fathers  might  be  perpetuated.  To-day  their  surviving  comrades 
covered  their  graves  with  sweet  flowers  in  commemoration  of 
their  noble  deeds. 

What  lessons  these  two  silent  places  teach  !  The  first,  of  the 
men  who  periled  life  and  fortune  to  establish  and  maintain  a 
government  based  upon  the  grand  principles  of  religion,  moral¬ 
ity,  knowledge,  civil  and  religious  liberty,  under  which  every 
man  could  worship  God  according  to  the  dictates  of  his  own 
conscience,  and  where  there  were  none  to  molest  or  make  him 
afraid.  The  other,  of  the  heroic  deeds  of  their  sons  who  went 
forth  to  battle  and  fell  in  the  defense  of  those  principles.  Both 
the  tombs  of  heroes !  Over  each  should  be  erected  monuments 
that  would  pierce  the  very  clouds,  inscribed  all  over  with  the 
names  of  heroic  dead  “  until  there  was  not  room  even  for  the 
initial  of  a  name/’ — names  that  should  never  be  forgotten,  but 
ever  commemorated  by  a  grateful  people.  The  first,  the  founders 
of  our  liberties ;  the  other,  those  who  perpetuated  them. 

Let  us  teach  our  children  that  it  was  patriotism  and  the 
love  of  these  principles,  that  nerved  our  fathers  to  face  and 
conquer  the  dangers  which  beset  them  on  every  hand,  in  the 
first  settlement  of  the  great  North-west.  Their  hope,  their 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


87 


strength,  was  in  Him  who  holds  in  His  hand  the  destiny  of  men 
and  of  nations.  It  was  to  secure  to  their  children  this  beauti¬ 
ful  land  and  its  guaranteed  privileges  that  they  went  forth,  with 
Harmar,  St.  Clair,  and  Wayne,  to  meet  the  wily  savage ;  for 
these  they  followed  our  own  gallant  Harrison  to  battle  with  the 
combined  forces  of  Britain  and  Tecumseh.  They  not  only 
fought  to  preserve  this  goodly  land  with  all  its  blessed  privi¬ 
leges  to  their  descendants,  but  to  instill  into  the  minds  of  their 
sons  their  own  patriotism  and  love  of  liberty,  and  the  fact  that 
the  grand  principles  upon  which  the  government  of  the  North¬ 
west  was  founded  —  religion,  morality,  and  knowledge— were 
necessary  to  good  government. 

Imbued  with  these  teachings,  when  the  roll  of  the  drum  was 
heard  in  1861,  calling  to  arms  for  the  preservation  of  the  nation, 
two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  of  the  gallant  sons  of  Ohio  shoul¬ 
dered  their  muskets  and  drew  their  swords  in  its  defense.  Oh ! 
who  will  say  that  the  heroic  deeds  of  such  men  should  not  be 
commemorated  ? 

In  commemorating  the  noble  deeds  of  the  men  who  have 
been  so  prominently  identified  with  the  interests  of  our  city  and 
county,  we  should  not  forget  the  mothers  of  the  West,  who  con¬ 
tributed,  by  their  patient  toil  and  suffering,  scarcely  less  to  its 
material  prosperity.  The  heroism  of  the  mothers  of  the  Miami 
Valiev  has  never  been  surpassed  bv  the  women  of  anv  nation. 
As  an  example  of  unprecedented  patriotism,  we  are  told,  in  his¬ 
tory,  that  the  mothers  of  an  ancient  nation  bid  their  sons  go 
forth  to  meet  the  advancing  foe,  and  to  bring  back  their  shields 
triumphant  or  be  borne  back  upon  them  lifeless.  But  the 
mothers  of  the  West  did  more.  They  not  only  sent  forth  their 
husbands  and  sons  to  meet  the  sayage  enemy,  but  skilled  them¬ 
selves  in  the  use  of  the  rifle,  and  protected  their  homes  and 
little  ones  in  the  absence  of  their  natural  defenders.  Let  us 
not  forget  the  noble  women  of  the  West  in  our  memorial 
services.  They  are  worthy  of  our  most  sacred  remembrance. 


88 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


May  the  time  never  come  when  their  descendants  shall  forget 
to  annually  commemorate  the  lives  and  deeds  of  those  to  whom 
they  are  or  may  be  indebted  for  all  they  enjoy! 

That  we  may  ever  keep  before  the  rising  generation  the 
noble  examples  of  the  worthy  dead  ;  that  we  may  instill  into  their 
minds  the  fact  that  the  principles  of  religion,  morality,  and 
knowledge  are  necessary  to  good  government  and  the  hap¬ 
piness  of  the  people ;  and  that  a  correct  record  and  history  of 
our  city  may  hereafter  be  kept,  and  proper  honor  be  paid  to  the 
memory  of  those  who  may  pass  away  after  a  life  devoted  to  its 
interests,  I  move,  Mr.  Chairman,  the  adoption  of  the  resolutions. 

The  resolutions  were  unanimously  adopted. 

“  Freedom’s  Anthem”  was  then  sung  by  the  pupils, — after 
which  the  meeting  adjourned. 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


89 


*raRG$PODDGn<£G.* 


The  following  letters  were  received,  in  response  to  invita¬ 
tions,  by  Colonel  A.  E.  Jones,  chairman  of  the  Committee  on 
Speakers : 

Cincinnati,  3d  May,  1881. 

My  Dear  Sir , — I  regret  to  be  obliged  to  say  that  other  en¬ 
gagements  will  prevent  my  acceptance  of  your  polite  invitation 
to  speak  in  the  memorial  services  in  honor  of  the  late  George 
Graham,  Esq. 

Under  ordinary  circumstances  I  should  take  great  pleasure 
in  meeting  your  wishes,  but  it  is  not  in  my  power  at  this  time. 
The  occasion  will,  however,  be  one  in  which  my  warm  sympa¬ 
thies  will  be  enlisted. 

Very  sincerely,  yours, 

J.  D.  Cox. 

Dr.  A.  E.  Jones,  Chairman  Committee,  etc. 


Columbus,  0.,  May  4,  1881. 

Dear  Colonel , — I  am  greatly  obliged  for  your  invitation  to 
attend  and  take  part  in  the  memorial  services  of  your  citizens, 
in  honor  of  the  late  George  Graham,  whom  I  well  knew  in  my 
early  manhood,  and  always  highly  esteemed;  but  my  engage¬ 
ments  are  such  as  to  prevent  my  promising  positively  to  be  with 
you  on  that  interesting  occasion.  If  I  find  I  can  be  present  I 
will  notify  you.  I  am  gratified  to  be  remembered  as  a  Cincin¬ 
natian,  and  assure  you  of  the  pleasure  it  will  give  me,  if  cir¬ 
cumstances  favor,  to  attend  the  services. 

Truly  yours,  AY.  Dennison. 

Col.  A.  E.  Jones,  Chairman,  etc.,  Cincinnati,  0. 

7 


90 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


May  9,  1881. 

A.  E.  Jones,  Esq.,  Chairman,  etc.: 

Dear  Sir, — Your  letter  of  May  4tli  is  duly  received.  Fully 
appreciating,  as  I  do,  the  high  compliment  of  the  invitation 
contained  therein,  I  exceedingly  regret  that  the  state  of  my 
health  prevents  my  acceptance  of  it. 

Very  truly,  yours,  W.  Greene. 


Cincinnati,  May  12,  1881. 

Col.  A.  E.  Jones  and  others,  Committee: 

Gentlemen , — I  regret  that  it  will  be  out  of  my  power  to 
accept  your  kind  invitation  to  speak  on  the  occasion  of  the 
memorial  meeting  in  honor  of  the  late  George  Graham,  of  this 
city.  My  business  engagements  are  such  that  I  shall  probably 
be  absent  from  the  city  on  the  30th  instant.  I  fully  appreciate 
the  admirable  character  of  Mr.  Graham,  and  his  title  to  our 
grateful  memory.  His  accurate  and  abundant  knowledge  of  the 
history  of  the  West,  and  his  happy  way  of  communicating  his 
knowledge,  made  him  a  pleasant  and  a  profitable  gentleman  to 
meet  anywhere  and  on  all  occasions.  His  interest  in  our  edu- 
eational  institutions  and  the  share  he  bore  in  the  promotion  of 
the  common  schools  should  make  his  memory  dear  to  the  people 
of  the  citv. 

Regretting  that  I  can  not  accept  your  invitation,  I  am,  very 
respectfully  and  truly,  yours, 

Alphonso  Taft. 

Cincinnati,  May  17,  1881. 

Col.  A.  E.  Jones,  Chairman,  etc.: 

Dear  Sir, — On  mv  return  to  the  citv,  after  an  absence  of 
several  weeks,  I  find  yours  of  14th  inst.,  inviting  me  to  take 
part  in  the  Graham  memorial  services  on  the  30th  inst.  I  re¬ 
gret  very  much  that  my  engagements  are  such  that  I  shall  be 
unable  to  accept  the  invitation. 

Yours  truly, 


A.  T.  G  os  HORN. 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


91 


Cincinnati,  May  18,  1881. 

Colonel  A.  E.  Jones: 

Dear  Sir, — I  have  received  your  invitation  for  the  memo¬ 
rial  services,  and  it  will  give  me  pleasure  to  be  present  and  to 
render  the  service  vou  desire. 

Yours  truly,  I.  W.  Wiley. 

[Afterward  it  was  found  impossible  for  Bishop  Wiley  to  be 
present,  and  Dr.  Walden  officiated  in  his  stead.] 


United  States  Senate  Chamber,  ) 
Washington,  May  22,  1881.  / 

Colonel  A.  E.  Jones,  Cincinnati,  0. 

Dear  Sir, — Your  letter  to  me  of  the  3d  came  duly  to 
hand,  and  I  have  deferred  answering  in  the  hope  of  being  able 
to  be  present,  personally,  to  take  part  in  the  proposed  memorial 
services  in  honor  of  our  friend,  the  late  George  Graham.  The 
prolonged  session  of  the  Senate,  however,  has  detained  me,  and  I 
feel  that  my  assignment  to  duty  as  one  of  the  visitors  to  the 
Military  Academy  at  West  Point,  on  the  part  of  the  Senate,  on 
June  1st,  will  prevent  me  from  being  at  home  at  the  time  fixed 
upon.  This  I  very  much  regret,  as  I  would  have  been  glad  to 
join  you  and  our  friends  in  paying  the  last  sad  respects  to  his 
memory. 

I  am  yours,  very  truly,  Geo.  H.  Pendelton. 


Columbi'S,  O.,  May  23,  1881. 

Dear  Dr., — I  have  your  valued  favor  of  the  1 6th,  with  accom¬ 
panying  circulars,  and  congratulate  you  upon  your  enlarged 
programme  for  your  interesting  ceremonies  of  the  30th,  which  I 
deeply  regret  I  will  not  be  able  to  attend.  Please  accept  my 
earnest  thanks  for  your  kind  invitation,  and  best  wishes  for 

yourself  and  yours. 

•  *■ 

Always  truly  yours,  W.  Dennison. 

Colonel  A.  E.  Jones,  chairman,,  etc.,  Cincinnati,  0. 


92 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


Indianapolis,  Ind.,  May  27,  1881. 

A.  E.  Jones,  Chairman,  etc.,  Cincinnati,  O.: 

Dear  Sir, — Your  letter  of  the  24'th,  inviting  me  to  attend  the 

memorial  services  in  honor  of  the  late  George  Graham  and 

others  on  the  30th  inst.,  has  been  received.  The  idea  of  your 

meeting,  I  think,  is  good,  and  the  occasion,  I  have  no  doubt,  will 

be  interesting.  I  regret,  however,  to  be  compelled  to  decline 

your  invitation  by  reason  of  the  fact  that  I  have  an  engagement 

for  that  day. 

* 

Very  respectfully  yours,  Benj.  Harrison. 


Huntington  Block,  No.  7,  Mt.  Auburn,  > 

City,  May  24,  1881.  J 

Friend  John  D.  Caldwell: 

If  you  think  a  true  likeness  of  my  brother  Sol  (painted  by 
Soule,  some  thirty  years  ago  in  New  Orleans),  in  a  rather  plain 
frame,  would  be  worthy  of  a  place  among  the  many  worthy  de¬ 
ceased  citizens  I  notice  published  in  the  Commercial  of  to-day, 
it  is  at  the  service  of  the  committee. 

My  brother  came  with  me  to  this  city  sixty-four  years  ago 
( 1817),  with  our  oldest  brother,  W right,  and  seven  more 
brothers,  with  their  families,  joined  us  the  same  year — making 
ten  brothers,  averaging  in  height  over  six  feet,  and  by  way  of 
distinguishing  us  from  other  families  of  that  remarkable  name, 
were  styled  the  u  sixty-foot  Smiths.”  Sol  continued  a  citizen 
until  after  he  published  the  Independent  Press,  in  1822—23; 
shortly  after  which  time  he  wandered  South,  where  his  interests 
in  managing  theaters  in  Mobile,  New  Orleans,  and  St.  Louis 
occupied  his  time  for  over  forty  years  away  from  Cincinnati, 
although  he  alwavs  claimed  it  as  his  first  and  native  home  in 
the  West. 

He  finally  left  this  world,  in*St.  Louis,  in  1868,  leaving  a 
wife  and  seven  promising  boys,  with  a  handsome  competence. 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


93 


There  were  originally  eleven  brothers  of  us,  and  Sol  was  the 
last  one  left  with  me  on  earth. 

Do  not  hesitate  to  refuse  the  proffer  of  the  portrait  if  you 
think  it  inappropriate  to  the  occasion,  as  you  can  easily  do  it 
“  between  ourselves.” 

You  will  do  me  the  favor  to  hand  the  inclosed  $10  to  your 
treasurer,  as  a  small  subscription  (unsolicited)  towards  the  ex¬ 
penses  of  the  memorial  to  an  old  friend  of  close  and  intimate 
acquaintance  of  sixty  years;  but  shall  be  unable  to  attend  the 
exercises  on  the  30th  inst.,  much  to  my  regret,  as  I  am  suffering 
from  the  effects  of  a  severe  sunstroke  I  received  the  hottest  day 
of  this  month  (10th),  which  came  very  near  closing  up  my 
chapter  of  accidents  in  this  world.  It  has  left  my  head  in  a 
condition  that  makes  it  necessary  to  avoid  every  thing  exciting, 
and  in  fact  I  have  scarcely  gained  strength  yet  to  leave  my 
house.  From  all  indications  the  occasion  will  be  a  most  inter¬ 
esting  and  imposing  one.  I  hope  I  have  not  taxed  your  valu¬ 
able  time  too  long— and  am,  most  truly,  your  friend, 

S.  S.  Smith. 

Address  as  above. 


John  Simtkixson,  President,  etc: 

My  Old  Friend , — Your  note  asking  for  a  small  contribu¬ 
tion,  and  also  notifying  me  of  my  appointment  as  a  committee¬ 
man,  just  received,  and,  in  accord  therewith,  please  find  fifteen 
dollars  to  aid  you  in  your  work,  with  the  assurance  of  what- 
ever  more  you  may  need.  I  regret  that  my  age  and  health  will 
not  permit  me  to  take  active  part  as  a  committeeman,  to  which 
place  you  have  so  kindly  appointed  me;  but  I  approve  and 
respect  the  aim  you  have  in  view,  for  surely  George  Graham 
is  entitled  to  every  honor  you  can  pay  his  memory  and  good 
deeds,  and  when  you  thus  remember  worthy  George  Graham, 
you  are  equally  remembering  other  excellent  people  who  have 
rendered  great  service  to  Cincinnati.  I  am  much  pleased  that 


94 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIA  TION. 


you  intend  holding  your  services  yearly,  as  the  example  set  will 
have  a  lasting  effect  for  good,  particularly  in  inspiring  the  younger 
generations  to  perform  well  the  line  of  duty  they  have  been 
allotted.  As  time  goes  by,  each  year  will  furnish  noble  names 
of  good  men  and  women  who  have  passed  away. 

Respectfully,  your  friend,  Samuel  Fosdick. 


From  Rock  Pewee  Valley,  Ky.,  May  30,  1881. 

J.  D.  Caldwell,  Esq.,  Chairman  of  Committee  on  Invitations: 

Dear  Sir, — I  have  put  off  till  the  last  moment  an  acknowl¬ 
edgment  of  the  receipt  of  your  invitation  of  the  23d  inst.  to 
attend  the  Citizens’  Memorial  and  Graham  Testimonial  in  the 
hope  that  I  might  be  able  to  accept  it.  But  I  have  now  to 
express  my  regret  that  I  can  not  be  with  you  on  the  interesting 
occasion  ;  and  in  doing  this  I  avail  myself  of  the  opportunity 
to  say  that  in  assembling  for  the  special  purpose  of  honoring 
one  whose  mental  and  moral  character  were  so  good,  and  whose 
ways  in  life  were  so  useful  as  those  of  George  Graham,  the  cit¬ 
izens  of  Cincinnati  do  well,  as  they  have  often  done  well  in 
similar  matters  heretofore ;  and  that  in  providing  at  the  same 
time,  as  they  have  now  provided,  for  paying  proper  tributes 
of  respect  to  others  of  the  pioneer  fathers  and  mothers  of 
Cincinnati,  who  have  passed  away,  they  simply  show  them¬ 
selves  to  be  worthy  descendants  and  successors  of  a  noble  race, 
and  as  such  deserving  of  honorable  consideration  and  grateful 
remembrance. 

George  Graham!  All  who  knew  him  well  in  life,  and  who 
know  of  the  proposed  testimonial,  will  on  this  occasion  be  with 
you  in  spirit,  though  many  of  them  may  be  absent  in  the  flesh. 
One  who  was  for  years  intimately  associated  with  Charles  Ham- 
mond  concluded  some  verses  written  during  a  visit  to  the  grave 

O  O 

of  that  great  journalist  and  useful  man,  with  the  following  lines, 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


95 


which  I  now  apply  to  the  one  out  of  respect  to  whose  worth 

and  works  Cincinnati’s  leading  citizens  assemble : 

“  Praise  to  his  virtues  !  ever  keep 
In  memory  the  race  he  ran ; 

Ne  ’er  let  the  living  lesson  sleep 
Of  such  a  man  !” 

Very  respectfully  yours, 

W.  D.  Gallagher. 


Louisville,  Noon,  May  31,  1881. 

J.  D.  Caldwell,  Esq.: 

Dear  Sir, —  I  have  just  completed  the  perusal  of  the  Cincin¬ 
nati  Commercial’s  account  of  the  Graham  memorial  as  held  in 
Springer  Music  Hall  yesterday  and  last  night.  It  was,  in  very 
truth,  an  interesting  occasion,  and  I  feel  now  that  I  would  have 
enjoyed  it  very  much  had  it  been  in  my  power  to  be  present. 
Especially  would  I  have  been  spell-bound  for  an  hour  or  more 
in  the  presence  of  all  those  likenesses  of  the  good  and  the  useful 
in  Cincinnati’s  earlv  davs. 

*  V 

June  2,  Noon. 

Just  at  this  moment  I  was  interrupted  by  business,  and  on 
taking  up  my  paper  now,  forty-eight  hours  afterward,  I  do  not 
remember  and  can  not  recall  what  it  was  that  I  was  going  to 
say.  But  it’s  doubtless  of  no  consequence. 

It  was  a  happy  thought,  that  of  giving  to  the  “  Citizens’ 
Memorial  Association,”  a  permanent  organization,  and  I  hope 
that  among  the  objects  which  that  organization  will  keep  in 
view,  will  be  that  of  collecting  both  likenesses  and  facts  of  good 
and  useful  men  and  women  of 

“The  davs  that  were,  of  old.” 

Coming  down  on  the  cars  this  morning,  I  allowed  my  mind 
to  run  back  into  the  past  for  faces  and  names  with  which  my 
boyhood  and  young  manhood  was  familiar;  and  before  I  was 
well  aware  of  what  I  was  about,  I  had  taken  out  pencil  and 


96 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


paper  and  written  the  list  which  I  herein  send  you,  not  more 
than  half  a  dozen  of  whom,  I  venture  to  say,  are  mentioned 
in  the  Commercial's  report;  yet  these  were  the  men  who  not 
only  hewed  the  corner-stones  and  laid  the  foundations  of  Cin¬ 
cinnati,  but  who  also  built  a  large  part  of  that  beautiful  super¬ 
structure.  Their  memories  ought  to  be  perpetual,  and  a  few 
such  men  as  John  D.  Caldwell  can  secure  that  end. 

Had  the  distance  from  Pewee  Valiev  to  Louisville  been  twice 
as  great,  and  the  time  occupied  in  making  it  twice  as  long,  I 
think  it  not  unlikely  that  there  would  have  been  written  down  in 
this  list  twice  as  many  names,  for  my  memory  fairly  rings  with 
things  of  the  past  whenever  I  think  or  dream  of  Cincinnati  in 
the  days  of  my  boyhood.  And,  just  here,  who  is  it  in  the  Com¬ 
mercial  that  has  “  Rev.  Wm.  Burke”  born  in  the  year  1815? 
Why,  “  Father  Burke”  was  at  one  time  my  Sunday-school 
teacher,  and  while  I  was  still  a  boy  “  Billy  Burke  ”  was  post¬ 
master,  on  the  west  side  of  Main,  between  Third  and  Fourth 
Streets,  in  an  office  up  an  outside  pair  of  stairs,  with  A.  H. 
Ernst  keeping  a  cake  and  candy  store  in  the  basement  down  an 
outside  pair  of  stairs,  and  Thomas  Willson  up  an  alley  between 
the  post-office  and  Alexander  McGrew’s  jewelry  store,  printing 
an  excellent  weekly  paper  called  The  Remembrancer ,  which 
was  edited  by  Bev.  Dr.  Boot,  living  away  out  on  Seventh  Street, 
to  whom  “William”  (that  is  to  say  myself,  or  I)  used  regularly 
to  take  the  proof-sheets  and  help  him  “  read  proof.”  That  ?s 
“  what’s  what  ”  about  Bev.  Wm.  Burke,  etc.,  etc.  But  no  matter. 

Very  respectfully, 


W.  D.  Gallagher. 


Biographical  §>kgt<h>g& 


MARSTON  ALLEN 

Was  born  at  Barnstable,  Cape  Cod,  Massachusetts,  May  11, 
1789.  His  father,  John  Allyn,  was  descended  from  a  Welsh 
family,  who  emigrated  to  America  some  two  hundred  years 
previous  to  the  birth  of  our  subject.  His  native  place  afforded 
little  scope  for  the  exercise  of  that  inherent  energy  so  character¬ 
istic  of  his  later  years,  and  at  the  age  of  fourteen  he  went  to 
Boston,  where  he  obtained  a  situation  in  a  hardware  store. 
He  subsequently  became  salesman  in  the  store  of  a  leading 
paper-hanger  of  that  city,  and  while  there  devoted  his  evenings 
to  the  acquirement  of  a  practical  knowledge  of  the  business 
from  dhe  of  the  journeymen.  By  1812  they  had  saved  between 
them  a  sufficient  sum  to  warrant  the  formation  of  a  copart¬ 
nership,  and  they  engaged  in  business  on  their  own  account. 
He  married  in  Boston,  and  there  united  with  the  Baptist 
Church ;  but  he  afterward  became  familiar  with  the  writings 
of  Swedenborg  and  warmly  embraced  his  doctrines,  and  was 
brought  under  the  discipline  of  the  Church.  Upon  his  refusal 
to  recant,  that  body  pronounced  the  sentence  of  expulsion.  His 
former  pastor,  Rev.  Dr.  Sharp,  acquiesced  in  the  decision  on 
the  ground  that,  under  the  Church  rules,  it  could  not  do  other¬ 
wise,  but  earnestly  soliciting  the  preservation  of  the  close  per¬ 
sonal  intimacy  which  had  existed,  and  which  was  continued 
with  the  utmost  cordiality  until  1818,  when  Mr.  Allen  left 
Boston  to  explore  the  Western  El  Dorado.  He  was  so  favor¬ 
ably  impressed  with  Cincinnati  that  he  removed  his  family 


98 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


thither  the  following  year,  and,  in  addition  to  his  regular  busi¬ 
ness,  engaged  successively  and  with  limited  success  in  dry- 
goods,  pork-packing,  and  manufacture  of  nails.  Several  of  his 
outside  speculation.4?,  notably  that  of  a  tobacco  merchant,  proved 
unsuccessful,  and  he  learned  therefrom  a  useful  lesson.  Having 
finally  prepared  himself  by  a  long-continued  and  thorough 
course  of  reading  and  study,  he  embarked  in  the  drug  business, 
in  1824.  The  terrible  fire  of  the  Winter  of  1826  swept  away 
his  all;  but  he  was  not  overwhelmed  by  this  catastrophe,  and 
upon  the  ruins  rose  another  warehouse,  in  which  for  many  years 
the  firm  of  Allen  &  Co.  carried  on  the  drug  business  in  connec¬ 
tion  with  paper-hanging.  This  firm  founded  the  Cincinnati 
Laboratory,  and  in  1840  the  business  was  divided,  Mr.  Allen 
taking  the  drug-store  at  Fifth  and  Main  Streets.  Some  years 
after  this  he  suffered  from  another  disastrous  fire,  but  his  indom¬ 
itable  energy  again  triumphed  over  adversity.  As  the  years 
rolled  on  he  reaped  the  just  reward  of  integrity,  perseverance, 
and  an  intimate  knowledge  of  human  nature;  and  lived  to  enjoy 
the  abundant  fruits  of  his  labors. 

Marston  Allen  was  a  man  of  sterling  integrity,  decided  and 
independent,  but  as  unassuming  as  he  was  benevolent.  He 
never  aspired  to,  nor  accepted,  political  office,  but  devoted  his 
energies  to  business  pursuits  and  the  promotion  of  those  char¬ 
itable  objects  which  commended  themselves  to  his  judgment. 

He  was  one  of  the  originators  of  the  Ohio  Mechanics’  Insti¬ 
tute,  and  when  it  became  financially  embarrassed,  he  and  Miles 
Greenwood,  by  munificent  donations,  saved  it  for  its  future 
career  of  usefulness.  The  institute  proposed  to  recognize  this 
spirit  of  true  philanthropy  by  placing  his  portrait  in  the  pros¬ 
cenium  at  Greenwood  Hall ;  but  it  was  only  after  a  long  and 
persistent  solicitation  that  he  yielded  a  reluctant  consent,  and 
there  it  stands  to  remind  young  and  old  of  the  value  and  dura¬ 
bility  of  the  lessons  inculcated  by  pure  hearts  and  noble  lives. 
He  was  long  an  active  member  of  the  New  Jerusalem  Church, 


MIC AJ A II  BAILEY. 


99 


and  for  some  years  previous  to  his  death  lived  in  retirement 
at  Glendale,  surrounded  by  his  family  and  a  circle  of  devoted 
friends.  He  passed  away,  August  12,  18G8,  mourned  alike  by 
rich  and  poor.  His  unostentatious  deeds  of  love  arc  green  in 
the  memory  of  all  who  knew  him,  for  he  was  honored  bv  the 
great,  and  loved,  revered,  and  lamented  by  those  in  the 
humbler  walks  of  life. 


MICAJAH  BAILEY 

Was  born  in  Prince  George  County,  Virginia,  June  7,  1807, 
and  died  in  Cincinnati,  November  6,  1876.  Born  of  Quaker 
parents,  and  being  a  firm  believer  in  their  faith,  he  left  the  State 
of  his  birth  in  early  manhood,  and  removed  to  the  free  State  of 
Ohio,  settling  in  Wilmington,  in  1827.  He  was  one  of  the  orig¬ 
inal  Abolitionists,  and  many  a  fugitive  slave  owes  to  his  exer¬ 
tions  the  freedom  he  sought  in  Canada.  In  Wilmington,  Mr. 
Bailey  first  went  into  the  hat  business,  and  was  successful.  He 
added  the  dry  goods  and  general  merchandise  branches  to  his 
large  trade,  and  was  still  successful.  These  were  yet  too  limited 
for  his  broad  views  of  mercantile  operations,  and  he  embarked 
in  pork-packing.  For  a  while  he  was  successful;  but  reverses, 
came,  and  he  left  Wilmington  for  Cincinnati,  with  nothing  but 
a  good  character  and  business  qualifications,  in  the  year  1844. 
He  embarked  in  business  as  a  provision  broker,  which  he  fol¬ 
lowed,  with  varying  successes  and  misfortunes.  At  the  time  of 
his  death,  although  not  possessed  of  much  of  this  world’s  goods, 
he  was  universally  respected  and  esteemed  by  the  merchants  of 
Cincinnati,  and  it  might  be  said  that  his  word  was  as  good  as 
his  bond. 

It  was  not  alone  in  the  line  of  business  that  Mr.  Bailey  was 
honored.  His  boundless  charities,  his  self-denying  efforts  to 
alleviate  the  sorrows  and  afflictions  of  his  fellow-men,  made 


100 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


him  beloved  wherever  he  was  known,  and  that  was  almost 
everywhere.  Possessed  of  a  fair  knowledge  of  the  science  of 
medicine,  which  he  had  studied  in  his  youth,  he  was  ever  on 
hand  at  the  sick-bed  with  his  counsel  and  his  free  services  as 
nurse.  When  the  cholera  broke  out  in  1849,  he  was  untiring 
in  his  efforts  to  help  the  destitute  and  needy.  Day  and  night 
be  was  nursing  and  attending  the  wants  of  those  too  poor  to 
pay  the  necessary  expense  of  hired  nurses.  After  the  epidemic 
abated  in  this  city,  and  broke  out  in  Sandusky,  Mr.  Bailey  was 
a  volunteer  to  go  to  that  city,  at  his  own  expense,  to  nurse  the 
sick,  and  give  the  terrified  citizens  the  benefit  of  his  counsels 
and  experience.  During  the  cholera  seasons  of  1852  and  1866, 
Mr.  Bailey  pursued  the  same  praiseworthy  course,  and  people 
now  live  to  bless  him  for  his  heroic  exertions,  and  mourn  his 
death.  During  the  war  he  was  a  prominent  and  effective  mem¬ 
ber  of  the  Sanitary  Commission,  and  was  instrumental  in  al¬ 
leviating  much  suffering  in  the  field  hospitals  by  his  personal 
presence. 

He  was  always  a  consistent  member  of  the  Orthodox  Society 
of  Friends,  and  regularly  attended  public  worship  at  the  meeting¬ 
house  corner  of  Eighth  and  Mound  Streets,  of  which  congregation 
he  was  one  of  the  pillars.  It  was  said  of  him  yesterday,  that  had 
he  died  twenty  years  ago,  when  his  name  and  his  fame  for  chari¬ 
table  deeds  were  in  the  mouths  of  every  body,  no  one  could  have 
died  more  regretted  or  could  so  little  have  been  spared.  Having 
passed  the  meridian  of  life,  and  grown  in  the  course  of  nature 
unable  to  take  such  active  part  in  charities  as  formerly,  except 
in  the  immediate  locality  of  his  own  home,  he  goes  to  the  grave 
remembered  by  hundreds  who  have  been  the  recipients  of  his 
bounty  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago,  and  revered  and  beloved  by 
those  who  have  been  intimate  with  him  in  his  later  years. 

Mr.  Bailey  was  twice  married.  His  last  wife  survives  him. 
One  of  his  sons,  David  II.  Bailey,  is  American  Consul-general 
to  China;  another  son  lives  in  California.  One  of  his  daughters 


JOHN  BARTLE. 


101 


is  the  wife  of  Joseph  Gest,  of  the  firm  of  Gest  &  Atkinson ; 
another  the  wife  of  C.  G.  Gode,  Esq. ;  another  daughter,  a 
widow,  lives  in  Wilmington.  Besides  these,  he  has  three  younger 
children  at  home. 


JOHN  BARTLE,- 

« 

“The  Fi  rst  Merchant  of  Cincinnati/’  Such  were  the  words 
on  a  card  attached  to  a  venerable  Jacksonian  head  that  hung  in 
the  south  end  of  the  gallery.  Little  would  the  casual  observer 
surmise  the  wonderful  history  connected  with  the  original  of 

•J  O 

that  time-worn  painting. 

John  Bartle  was  born  of  good  family,  in  La  Marne,  France, 
about  1743,  and,  after  serving  some  years  in  the  army,  there  he 
came  to  America  with  Lafayette,  to  fight  for  the  independence 
of  the  Colonies.  So  well  did  he  perform  his  work  here  that 
when  the  war  closed  he  was  mustered  out  witlf  the  distinguished 
rank  of  colonel,  by  which  title  he  was  ever  afterwards  addressed. 
Full  of  admiration  for  his  adopted  country,  he  concluded  to 
make  it  his  future  home.  The  frontier  presenting  the  greatest 
field  of  promise  for  one  of  his  venturesome  disposition,  he 
started  as  an  army  trader  between  Baltimore,  Hagerstown,  and 
Pittsburg,  which  district  then  was  largely  an  almost  unbroken 
wilderness. 

A  little  later  we  find  Colonel  Bartle  a  merchant  in  a  small 
way  in  Cincinnati,  and  afterwards  connected  with  St.  Clair, 
Harm'ar,  and  Wayne  in  their  campaigns  against  the  Indians. 
After  the  peace  of  Greenville,  Colonel  Bartle  returned  to  his 
family  and  business  here,  and  for  years  was  one  of  our  most 
esteemed,  prosperous,  and  enterprising  merchants. 

H  is  chi  Id  ren  marrying  off,  and  strangers  constantly  coming, 
Bartle  grew  weary  of  a  settled  life,  and  for  years  wandered 
among  the  Indians  of  Indiana,  Illinois,  Missouri,  Iowa,  Wiseon- 


102 


ME  MORI  A  L  ASSOCIATION. 


sin,  and  Michigan,  undergoing  many  hardships  and  making  many 
ha i r-b read th  escapes. 

Having  reached  a  ripe  old  age,  Colonel  Bartle,  who  had 
long  been  given  up  for  dead,  returns,  and  finds  a  pleasant 
home,  a  short  distance  back  of  Newport,  with  his  son-in-law 
and  daughter,  Elijah  Pierce  and  wife.  Being  of  an  exceedingly 
proud  and  independent  nature,  Colonel  Bartle  could  not  enter¬ 
tain  the  idea  of  being  dependent,  and  after  living  a  few  years 
with  his  daughter,  against  the  earnest  entreaties  and  tears  of  all, 
lie  again  seeks  the  world,  for  some  months  being  the  guest  of 
the  officers  of  the  garrison,  who  were  glad  to  have  with  them 
an  old  officer  who  had  fought  under  and  had  personally  known 
Washington,  Lafayette,  St.  Clair,  Harmar,  and  Wayne. 

Once  more  he  disappears,  and,  to  the  surprise  of  all,  is  found 
at  a  very  respectable  boarding-house  on  Pearl  Street,  where  is 
also  stopping  a  poor  and  talented  young  French  artist,  whom 
our  well-known  pioneer,  Joseph  Coffin,  commissioned  to  paint 
the  portrait  of  Oflonel  Bartle  which  was  in  the  pioneer  gallery, 
and  also  one  of  Colonel  Samuel  W.  Davies,  mayor  of  the  citv. 
A  few  weeks  afterwards  Colonel  Bartle  is  again  missing,  and, 

O  o’  7 

notwithstanding  the  most  eager  search  bv  friends,  not  a  word  is 
heard  of  or  from  him  until  the  11th  of  December,  1839,  when 
the  following  startling  announcement  appeared  in  the  Cincinnati 
Gazette ,  evidently  written  by  the  chief  editor,  the  distinguished 
Charles  Hammond  : 

u  ANOTHER  PIONEER  GONE. 

“  Death  has  taken  to  a  better  land  another  of  our  earliest 
pioneers.  In  recording  the  decease  of  the  venerable  Colonel 
Bartle,  we  regret  to  say  that  he  died  in  the  hospital.  He  came 
here  at  so  early  a  period  that  the  first  roof  dignified  with  shin¬ 
gles  was  covered  bv  him.  He  afterwards  became  the  leading 
merchant  of  Cincinnati  ;  but  as  the  population  gathered  around 
him,  and  the  manners  of  the  people  changed,  he  wandered  off. 
After  various  vicissitudes,  he  returned  to  die  upon  the  scenes  of 


MARTIN  BAUM. 


103 


> 


his  first  adventures.  It  is  fit  that  respect  should  be  paid  to 
his  obsequies.  In  life  he  was  honorable ;  and  if  his  death  was 
lonely  it  was  because  he  had  returned  after  a  long  absence  to  a 
people  who  could  not  so  much  be  said  to  have  forgotten  him  as 
never  to  have  known  him. 

“  His  remains  are  now  at  the  hospital.  It  is  suggested  that 
a  meeting  be  held  this  evening  at  the  Cincinnati  College,  for 
the  purpose  of  making  arrangements  for  his  funeral.” 

Thus,  after  a  long  and  eventful  career  of  almost  a  century, 
died  one  of  the  oldest,  noblest,  and  most  honorable  of  the  many 
gallant  soldiers  who,  having  successfully  fought  for  the  inde¬ 
pendence  we  now  enjoy,  became  pioneers  in  founding  Cincinnati. 

I)r.  Wm.  E.  De  Courey,  member  of  Council  from  the  Six- 
tcenth  Ward  of  this  city,  is  a  great-grandson  of  Colonel  Bartle, 
his  mother  having  been  a  daughter  of  Elijah  Pierce  and  wife. 


V( 


MARTIN  BAUM 


u 


Was  born  in  Hagerstown,  Maryland,  June  15,  1765.  The 
Hagers  and  Ivershncrs  were  his  immediate  relatives.  His  father 
died  when  he  was  two  years  old,  leaving  two  children — Jacob, 
aged  four,  and  Martin.  Mr.  Baum,  in  his  later  years,  was  fond 
of  relating  his  various  adventures  when  a  youth,  crossing  the 
Alleghany  Mountains  with  the  sutlers’  trains  of  supplies  to 
Wavne’s  armv,  then  fighting  the  Indians  in  the  North-western 
Territory.  He  was  afterward  engaged  in  surveying  in  New 
Jersey,  and  is  supposed  to  have  come  West  with  a  surveying 
party,  probably  with  John  Clevcs  Symmes.  His  great  tact  and 
judgment  in  selecting  the  finest  localities  in  South-western 
Ohio  would  seem  to  indicate  that  he  profited  by  the  knowledge 
thus  acquired.  Witness  his  selection  of  the  Yellow  Springs, 
Greene  County,  where  he  once  owned  three  or  four  sections; 
also  lands  near  Miamisburg ;  and  again  five  or  six  jniles  above 


104 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


Hamilton,  Butler  County,  where  he  loeated  his  mother  and  his 
half-brothers.  He  selected  Cincinnati  for  his  future  residence 
in  1795,  and  from  that  time  to  his  death,  he  was  one  of  the 
most  prominent,  energetic,  enterprising  of  her  citizens.  He 
married,  in  November,  1804,  Miss  Ann  Wallace,  sister  of  Mrs. 
Judge  Burnet,  at  whose  house  the  wedding  took  place,  in  their 
then  new  brick  house,  where  the  Burnet  House  now  stands. 
Mr.  Baum  immediately  built  a  brick  residence  on  Front  Street, 

J  7 


north-west  corner  of  Sycamore  Street,  his  place  of  business 
being  a  log-house  (weather-boarded)  right  on  the  corner,  his 
garden  running  back  about  two  hundred  feet  to  the  residence  of 
his  brother-in-law,  Samuel  Perry. 

Mr.  Baum  engaged  in  every  thing  that  would  advance  the 
prosperity  of  Cincinnati;  owned  an  interest  in  the  first  steam¬ 
boats,  on  one  of  which  I).  K.  Cady  was  clerk;  in  the  first  steam 
flour-mill,  located  at  the  foot  of  Broadway;  in  shipping  produce 
to  New  Orleans,  and  bringing  back  in  his  barges  sugar,  coffee, 
tea,,  and  all  groceries  from  thence;  with  Judge  Burnet,  in  the 
first  sugar  refinery,  of  which  Jacob  Guelick  was  manager  and 
afterward  owner.  He  was  for  some  time  president  of  the  Miami 
Exporting  Company  Bank;  was  the  first  mayor;  was  interested 
in  the  first  public  library  ;  the  Cincinnati  College;  was  president 
of  the  building  committee  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church, 
recently  torn  down,  on  Fourth  Street,  between  Vine  and  Race 
Streets;  was  very  much  interested  in  the  construction  of  the 
Miami  Canal;  he  was  president  of  the  companies  that  selected 
and  bought,  at  the  land-office  in  Wooster,  in  1817,  the  lands  on 
which  Fremont,  Maumee  City,  and  Toledo  are  now  located. 

.  He  built,  in  1820-1823,  the  large  house  east  of  Pike  Street, 
afterward  owned  by  Nicholas  Longworth,  and  at  present  the 
residence  of  David  Sinton,  probably  as  commodious  and  delight¬ 
ful  a  residence  still,  after  the  lapse  of  sixty  years,  as  any  in  the 
city.  After  this  active  and  useful  life,  Mr.  Baum  became  in- 
volved,  through  indorsements  and  losses,  and  saw  a  large  part 


G.  M.  D.  BLOSS. 


105 


of  his  fortune  swept  away.  He  died,  December  14,  1831,  during 
an  epidemic  of  influenza,  which  carried  off  a  number  of  citizens. 
He  left  a  widow  and  six  children — four  sons  and  two  daugh- 
.ters — of  whom  only  two,  Mrs.  Mary  P.  Ewing,  widow  of  Alex¬ 
ander  H.  Ewing,  and  Mrs.  Eleanor  Hartshorn,  widow  of  Charles 
Hartshorn,  now  survive. 


G.  M.  D.  BLOSS. 

[ Cincinnati  Enquirer ,  May  2Q,  1876. ] 

George  Manor  Davis  Bloss  was  born  at  Irisburg,  Benning¬ 
ton  County,  Vermont,  on  the  second  day  of  May,  1827,  and 
was  therefore  a  few  weeks  over  forty-nine  years  of  a  ire  at  the 
time  of  his  death.  He  was  of  Revolutionary  stock,  his  grand¬ 
fathers,  on  both  his  father’s  and  mother’s  side,  having1  been 
soldiers  in  the  war  for  independence.  His  mother’s  father  was 
named  Manor  Davis,  and  from  him  the  subject  of  our  sketch 
got  his  name.  The  general  belief  that  he  was  named  after 
George  Mifflin  Dallis,  the  Vice-President  under  Polk’s  Admin¬ 
istration,  is  incorrect.  When  he  was  only  three  years  of  age  his 
father,  who  had  been  in  government  employ  during  and  since 
the  W  ar  of  181 2,  removed  to  Watertown,  X.  Y.,  and  at  eight  years 
later  to  the  city  of  Oswego.  It  was  during  the  earlier  years  of 
his  residence  in  Oswego,  while  he  was  yet  a  lad  of  fifteen  or  six¬ 
teen,  that  he  laid  the  foundation  for  his  future  life  of  devotion 

I 

to  literature  and  politics.  While  a  pupil  in  the  Academy  of 
Oswego — an  institution,  bv-the-by,  which  has  had  for  its  princi¬ 
pal  Hiram  H.  Barney,  afterward  a  well-known  educator  here  in 
Ohio,  and  our  first  State  School  Commissioner — he  made  the  study 
of  history  his  specialty,  spending  most  of  his  school  hours,  and  all 
of  his  spare  time  out  of  school,  in  its  careful  perusal.  At  the 
time  he  left  the  academy,  in  1846,  lie  was  reckoned  by  his  teach¬ 
ers  and  fellow-scholars  the  best-read  pupil  in  history  that  had 

8 


106 


ME  MORI  A  L  ASSOC  I  A  TION. 


ever  gone  out  from  the  portals  of  that  institution.  During  all 
his  subsequent  life  he  never  gave  up  his  historical  studies. 

At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  commenced  the  study  of  law  in 
the  office  of  Grant  &  Allen.  Judge  Allen  was  then  one  of  the 
prominent  members  of  the  New  York  bar,  and  shortly  after 
became  Attorney-general  of  the  State,  afterward  being  elevated 
to  a  seat  in  the  Court  of  Appeals.  In  1850,  young  Bloss,  then 
barely  twenty-three  years  of  age,  was  admitted  to  the  bar, 
though  he,  at  that  time,  held  a  position  in  the  Oswego  post- 
office.  Shortly  after  this  he  removed  to  Syracuse,  where  he  had 
his  initiation  into  his  future  life-work,  in  helping  to  edit  the 
Palladium,  a  daily  Democratic  journal. 

Here,  while  waiting  for  the  practice  which  so  tardily  comes 
to  a  young  lawyer,  he  was  frequently  called  upon  to  manage 
the  paper  in  the  absence  of  the  editor,  and  here  he  early  im¬ 
bibed  the  peculiarly  terse  style  and  forcible  diction  which  has 
characterized  his  editorial  writings  ever  since. 

In  the  year  1852  he  removed  to  Cincinnati,  with  the  inten- 
tion  of  practicing  law.  Almost  the  day  of  his  arrival,  he  secured, 
through  the  friendly  office  of  his  cousin,  Mr.  G.  B.  Aspinwall,  of 
this  city,  an  introduction  to  Messrs.  Faran  &  Robinson,  the  then 
proprietors  of  the  Enquirer ,  and  having  already  had  some  expe¬ 
rience  in  editorial  writing,  he  volunteered  to  furnish  matter  occa- 
sionallv  for  their  columns.  Thcv  were  not  lone  in  discovering 
his  abilities,  and  he  soon  had  an  offer  from  them  to  a  place  on 
their  editorial  staff.  The  engagement  of  Mr.  Bloss,  made  twenty- 
four  years  ago,  was  not  terminated  until  yesterday,  when  it  was 
ended  by  his  sudden  death. 

In  1854  he  was  married  to  Miss  Lizzie  McCormick,  a 
daughter  of  General  McCormick,  one  of  the  earliest  of  the 
Methodist  preachers  in  Ohio.  By  this  marriage  he  became  the 
father  of  four  children,  three  sons  and  a  daughter,  who,  with 
their  afflicted  mother,  survive  him.  He  removed  to  Branch 
Hill,  Clermont  County,  some  ten  years  since,  where  he  bought 


FERDINAND  BOD  MAN. 


107 


and  built  his  delightful  home,  and  from  whence  he  has  made 
his  daily  ride  ever  since. 

In  the  year  1868,  at  the  8th  of  January  State  Convention, 
which  presented  the  name  of  the  Hon.  George  H.  Pendleton  for 
President,  Mr.  Bloss  prepared  the  platform ;  and  afterward, 
when  Mr.  Pendleton’s  name  became  a  household  word  in  con¬ 
nection  with  the  nomination,  he  prepared  a  biography  of  him, 
which  has  since  passed  into  the  domain  of  political  classics.  In 
1872,  at  the  Cleveland  Convention,  which  instructed  for  Greeley, 
he  was  chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Resolutions,  and  reported 
the  platform  on  which  the  Ohio  campaign  was  made. 

Two  years  ago  he  was  a  candidate  for  Congress  in  the  Fourth 
District,  and  would  have  received  the  nomination  had  his  friends 
been  as  devoted  to  him  as  his  deserts  were  great.  Less  than  a 
year  ago  he  prepared  a  volume  of  his  literary  productions,  most 
of  which  had  appeared  at  one  time  or  another  in  the  Enquirer, 
and  which  had  an  unexpectedly  large  circulation. 

At  the  time  of  his  death  he  had  in  preparation  a  second 
edition  of  this  work  considerably  enlarged.  In  his  peculiar 
field  of  political  and  biographical  research,  it  is  doubtful  whether 
he  had  his  equal  in  America. 


FERDINAND  BODMAN. 

Fon  almost  fifty  years,  on  a  very  modest  brick  building,  on 
the  south-west  corner  of  Gano  and  Main,  could  be  read  the  still 
more  modest  sign,  “  Ferdinand  Bodman — Tobacco,  Cigars,  and 
Snuff.”  The  entire  establishment  was  plain  and  unpretentious; 
and  yet  the  owner  was  already  one  of  the  millionaires  of  the  city, 
his  financial  operations  being  equaled  by  very  few  others  here. 

Ferdinand  Bodman  was  born  near  Frankfort,  Germany,  on 
the  16th  of  July,  1801,  and  was  the  son  of  a  distinguished 
father,  Judge  Lewis  Bodman,  supreme  judge  of  the  district  of 


108 


MEMORIAL  ASSOC  I  A  TIOK 


Hanau,  a  few  miles  from  Frankfort-on-the-Main.  Ferdinand 
laid  every  advantage  of  careful  early  training,  graduating  with 
distinction  at  the  University  of  Bamberg,  1817 ;  after  which  he 
was  for  five  years  connected  with  a  large  bank  in  Frankfort. 

Although  occupying  office  under  the  Government,  Judge 
Bodman  was  thoroughly  republican  in  his  views,  and  loved  the 
great  republic  beyond  the  sea  so  much  that  in  1822,  collecting 
together  his  very  large  fortune,  he  brought  his  family  to  Amer¬ 
ica,  and  settled  at  Hagerstown,  Maryland. 

On  the  14th  of  December,  1825,  Ferdinand  Bodman  was 
married  to  Miss  Kate  Poepplein,  of  Baltimore,  and  in  1828  re¬ 
moved  to  Cincinnati,  which  was  afterward  to  be  his  home  till 
his  death,  which  took  place  July  29,  1874. 

Ferdinand  Bodman  was  a  study*  Born  rich,  and  ever  after¬ 
wards  accustomed  to  opulence,  and  every  thing  money  could 
purchase,  yet  he  was  one  of  the  most  plain  and  unassuming 
men  in  our  commercial  world.  About  him  there  was  neither 
show,  pomp,  nor  vanity.  The  man  who  came  to  him  to  transact 
affairs  reaching  up  into  the  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars 
was  treated  just  the  same  and  no  better  than  the  poor  laborer 
who  was  only  able  to  purchase  a  penny’s  worth  of  tobacco. 

While  a  close,  careful  business  man,  he  was  charitable  in  the 
largest  sense,  freely  giving  many  thousands  of  dollars  at  various 
times  to  charities  deserving  recognition. 

An  instance  of  Mr.  Bodman’s  idea  of  the  good  citizen  can 
be  best  shown  by  the  following  incident:  A  prominent  judge 
called  in  the  store,  and  was  talking  to  Mr.  Bodman,  when  the 
latter  took  time  to  wait  upon  a  customer  who  desired  to  make 
a  small  purchase.  After  the  buyer  went  out  the  lawyer  re¬ 
marked,  u  Mr.  Bodman,  I  would  n’t  think  you  would  care  about 
bothering  yourself  with  work,  now  that  you  are  so  rich.”  The 
old  gentleman,  in  his  own  dignified,  stately  way,  replied  : 
“  Bother  about  work  because  I  am  rich!  What  has  a  man’s 
wealth  to  do  with  his  manhood?  Nothing  all,  sir;  and  I  have 


FERDINAND  BOD  MAN. 


109 


a  much  greater  love  for  that  poor  old  man,  shoveling  in  coal  at 
the  door,  than  I  have  for  a  person  who  tries  to  live  in  style, 
without  the  means  to  support  it.  And,  by  the  way,  when  that 
old  fellow  comes  for  his  pay  he  shall  not  be  forgotten.”  And  he 
was  not;  for,  when  his  job  was  done,  what  was  his  astonishment 
when  Mr.  Schulze,  the  cashier,  handed  him  ten  dollars,  with  the 
information  that,  before  leaving,  Mr.  Bodman  had  given  orders 
to  give  his  (Mr.  Bodman’s)  respects  to  the  man,  and  assure  him 
that  whenever  in  need  of  assistance  he  must  come  to  the  store, 
and  it  would  always  be  a  pleasure  to  aid  him.  Such  was  one 
of  a  thousand  instances  of  Ferdinand  Bodman’s  charitable  acts. 

Mr.  Bodman  was  also  a  great  lover  of  animals,  spending  a 
large  amount  of  money  and  a  great  deal  of  valuable  time  in 
securing  every  species  of  fowl  and  pigeons — the  latter  being, 
particularly,  one  of  his  greatest  delights  and  pleasures. 

For  manv  years  the  Masonic  Fraternity  had  no  truer  or 
more  devoted  member  than  Mr.  Bodman,  who  always  kept  well 
posted  in  the  great  objects  of  this  grand  order;  and  so  highly 
was  this  appreciated  that  it  was  agreed  upon  to  name  a  com- 
mandery  the  u  Bodman  Commandery,”  which,  coining  to  the 
attention  of  that  gentleman,  lie  at  at  once  opposed  the  move¬ 
ment,  and  substituted  that  of  “  Hanselmann  Commanderv,” 
which  it  still  bears. 

Mr.  Bodman  loved  liberty  in  its  largest  sense,  and  took  great 
delight  in  welcoming  Kossuth  to  our  city.  The  ex-president 
of  Hungary  was  so  gratified  and  delighted  at  the  attention 
shown  him  by  Mr.  Bodman,  that,  as  a  return,  and  as  a  memento 
of  the  happy  meeting  (1851),  he  gave  to  Mr.  Bodman  the  ele¬ 
gant  silk  sash  he  wore,  and  which  can  be  seen  on  any  of  the 
many  photographs  of  Kossuth. 

Mr.  Bodman  left  a  widow  (since  deceased)  and  three  chil¬ 
dren — two  sons,  one  the  late  Clias.  Bodman,  whose  magnificent, 
bequests  to  humane  and  scientific  institutions  are  well  known, 
the  other  a  prominent  merchant  in  Belgium;  and  a  daughter, 


110 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


Mrs.  John  B.  Gibson,  who  has  just  given  the  former  Widows’ 
Home,  Mount  Auburn,  to  the  Germans  of  this  city,  as  a  German 
Protestant  Widows’  Home,  through  which  grand  act  many  a 
poor,  homeless  German  mother  will  be  sheltered  from  life’s 
storms  and  adversities. 


ISAAC  G.  BURNET 


Was  born  in  the  State  of  New  Jersey,  on  the  7th  day  of  July, 
1784.  He  was  the  son  of  Dr.  William  Burnet,  of  Newark,  New 
Jersey,  who  was  Surgeon-general  in  the  Army  of  the  Revolution. 
About  the  year  1804  he  moved  to  Cincinnati.  After  studying 
law  in  the  office  of  his  brother,  Jacob  Burnet,  he  was  admitted 
to  the  bar.  On  the  8th  day  of  October,  1807,  he  was  married 
to  Kitty  Gordon,  daughter  of  Captain  George  Gordon.  He  then 
moved  to  Dayton,  Ohio,  where  he  entered  diligently  upon  the 
practice  of  his  profession.  About  the  beginning  of  the  year 
1816,  he  removed  again  to  Cincinnati,  and  commenced  the  prac¬ 
tice  of  the  law  in  that  city,  in  copartnership  with  the  late  Nicholas 
Longworth,  grandfather  of  Judge  Longworth.  In  1819  he  was 
elected  mayor  of  Cincinnati,  which  office  he  held  continuously 
twelve  years,  until  the  Spring  of  1831,  when  he  declined  to  be 
a  candidate  for  re-election.  The  mayor,  at  that  time,  in  addition 
to  his  executive  duties  in  the  enforcement  of  the  laws,  had  the 
civil  and  criminal  jurisdiction  of  justices  of  the  peace;  and  from 
1819  to  1829,  the  mayor,  together  with  three  aldermen  elected 
by  the  City  Council,  constituted  what  the  city  charter  denominated 
“  the  City  Court,”  with  appellate  jurisdiction  from  the  mayor, 
and  original  criminal  jurisdiction  of  all  crimes,  misdemeanors, 
and  offenses  committed  within  the  corporation,  against  the  laws 
of  the  State  or  ordinances  of  the  city,  for  the  trial  of  which  a 
jury  was  requisite,  and  which  were  not  punishable  by  death  or 
confinement  in  the  penitentiary ;  and  also  original  civil  jurisdiction 


JOSEPH  C.  BUTLER. 


Ill 


concurrent  with  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas,  in  all  eases  where 
the  defendants  resided  within  the  city,  except  where  title  to  real 
estate  was  called  in  question ;  subject  to  the  right  of  appeal  to 
the  Supreme  Court,  which  at  that  time  sat  on  the  circuit,  once 
a  year,  in  each  county  of  the  State.  The  charter  of  the  city 
made  due  provision  for  grand  and  petit  juries  for  the  City  Court. 
The  judicial  power  conferred  upon  the  City  Court,  of  which  the 
mayor  was  presiding  judge,  was  important. 

In  1833  he  was  appointed  clerk  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
Hamilton  County,  and  continued  to  hold  that  office  until  the 
Supreme  Court  upon  the  circuit  was  superseded  by  the  District 
Court,  under  the  constitution  of  1851. 

He  was  baptized  by  John  Boyd,  then  the  pastor  of  the  Enon 
Baptist  Church,  of  Cincinnati,  about  the  year  1826.  In  1831 
or  1832  he  united  with  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church  of  Cin- 
cinnati,  and  was  for  more  than  twenty  years  one  of  its  elders. 

He  was  a  good  citizen  and  an  earnest  and  devoted  Christian, 
and  whilst  exemplifying  in  his  life,  in  a  remarkable  degree,  the 
rare  virtue  of  humility,  he  discharged  courageously  and  faithfully, 
and  with  modest  dignity,  every  duty,  public  or  private,  resting 
upon  him.  He  died  on  the  11th  day  of  March,  1856. 


JOSEPH  C.  BUTLER. 

[  Cincinnati  Commercial.  ] 

When  the  cruel  telegraph,  announcing  the  death  of  Mr.  Jo¬ 
seph  C.  Butler,  was  given  to  the  public  yesterday  morning, 
the  first  general  expression  was  that  of  astonishment.  This  was 
followed  by  a  universal  feeling  of  sorrow.  It  was  upon  the  lips 
of  every  one  that  Cincinnati  had  sustained  a  great  loss — that 
our  community  had  been  deprived  of  the  presence  and  serv¬ 
ice  of  one  who  could  not  be  spared.  The  astute  and  successful 
merchant,  the  wise  and  far-seeing  banker,  the  sound  business 


112 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


adviser,  the  public  benefactor,  had,  in  an  instant  of  time,  been 
taken  from  our  midst,  and  the  void  could  hardly  be  filled.  Noth- 
ing  can  or  need  be  added  to  the  public  testimony  to  the  ability 
and  integrity  of  the  man.  It  was  universal,  genuine,  and  touch¬ 
ing — a  grateful  legacy  and  recompense  to  his  children  and  his 
children’s  children.  “  When  a  good  man  dieth,  the  people 
mourn.” 

It  is  now,  however,  becoming,  and  to  the  writer  a  sad  and 
grateful  pleasure,  to  refer  to  a  few  of  the  personal  characteris¬ 
tics  of  Mr.  Butler.  I  knew  him  well,  and  would  have  others 
to  know  his  genial  and  generous  qualities  as  I  knew  them. 
Thev  should  be  held  in  remembrance,  not  only  as  a  tribute  to  a 
kind  and  affectionate  man,  but  as  an  example  which  all  men 
should  strive  to  imitate. 

As  a  business  man  Mr.  Butler  was  laborious,  scrutinizing,  and 
exact.  He  worked  according  to  a  system,  and  that  system  was 
iiis  own.  To  that  those  who  dealt  with  him  must  conform,  how¬ 
ever  their  opinions  conflicted  with  his.  His  judgments,  when 
formed,  were  always  firmly  but  courteously  announced,  and  they 
were  final.  He  would  not  entertain  a  transaction,  contrary  to  the 
established  rules  of  his  bank.  But  what  the  president  of  the 
bank,  the  trustee  of  his  associates  and  depositors,  might  not  do, 
the  generous  and  kind-hearted  man  might;  and  he  would  often 
say  to  a  worthy  and  distressed  applicant,  “  The  bank  can  not 
do  this,  but  I  will  try  to  arrange  the  matter  for  you  in  some 
other  way  and  he  generally  succeeded.  Herein  was  the  secret 
of  his  success  as  a  banker,  and  herein,  also,  was  the  true  key  to 
his  success  in  private  and  personal  transactions;  for  it  is  a  true 
maxim  that  the  best  way  to  make  money  for  vourself  is  to  make 

•/  V  * 

it  for  others  at  the  same  time.  Mr.  Butler  was  never  willing  to 
press  any  one  indebted  to  him  to  the  wounding  of  his  feelings 
or  the  sacrifice  of  his  property.  I  know  well  of  one  instance 
when  a  wave  of  misfortune,  set  in  motion  by  misrepresentation, 
struck  a  man  broken  in  health  and  overwhelmed  with  financial 


JOSEPH  C.  BUTLER. 


113 


care  and  responsibility.  He  was  rudely  assailed  by  those  who 
held  his  collateral  obligations,  and  many  of  his  former  friends 
deserted  him  or  gave  him  cold  support.  Mr.  Butler  was  his 
largest  creditor.  A  few  days  afterward  he  drove  up  to  the  house 
of  his  debtor,  and,  taking  him  by  the  hand,  said  :  “  I  do  not 
come  to  talk  with  you  about  business,  but  simply  to  tell  you  to 
dismiss  from  your  mind  all  thought  about  my  claim.  Rest  your¬ 
self;  I  will  carry  the  debt  as  long  as  you  desire,  and  you  shall 
not  be  sacrificed.”  Faithfully,  and  with  but  few  words,  did  he 
keep  his  promise,  and  saved  to  his  client  and  friend  a  large 
property.  Such  acts  Mr.  Butler  delighted  to  perform,  and  they 
illustrated  the  life  which  has  now  closed.  They  prove  how  strict 
and  sterling  business  habits  and  business  rules  in  his  life  har¬ 
monized  with  the  most  generous  disposition  and  the  kindest 
heart.  Mr.  Butler  was  a  true  gentlemen.  He  was  never  rude 
or  discourteous,  but  invariablv  dignified  in  his  bearing  and  cour- 
teous  in  his  replies  and  conversation.  No  matter  how  wearied 
or  suffering  or  occupied  lie  might  be,  he  always  listened  respect¬ 
fully.  He  could  be  very  indignant  when  occasion  called  for  it, 
but  he  was  never  insulting. 

In  his  charities  he  was  abundant,  but  about  them  he  was  ret¬ 
icent.  Their  record  has  gone  before  him,  and  ere  this  his  eyes 
have  looked  upon  the  brilliant  page. 

Soon  after  the  noble  gift  of  himself  and  Mr.  Lewis  Worth¬ 
ington  to  the  Good  Samaritan  Hospital,  he  said  to  me,  “  The 
Lord  has  taken  one  of  my  children,  and  I  thought  it  but  right 
to  contribute  of  what  would  have  been  my  son’s  portion  to  his 
service.”  How  significant  this  remark  of  the  generous,  loyal, 
sensitive,  and  vet  systematic  character  of  the  man ! 

With  his  friends,  Mr.  Butler  was  cordial,  sincere  and  gener¬ 
ous.  He  was  fond  of  bright  conversation  and  anecdote,  and 
enjoyed  a  good  joke  or  repartee,  and  at  social  hours  tried  to  dis¬ 
miss  the  cares  and  worry  of  business  from  his  mind;  but  he 
readily  returned  to  his  desk,  and  then  always  overtaxed  himself. 


114 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


He  accepted  too  many  trusts,  assumed  too  much  responsibility, 
worked  too  hard,  taxed  his  brain  while  he  should  have  been 
resting  it  and  nursing  his  enfeebled  body.  He  would  attempt 
nothing  that  he  could  not  accomplish,  but  he  attempted  too 
much  for  his  failing  health,  and  so  a  kind  Providence  has  sum¬ 
moned  him  to  that  rest  which  is  in  store  for  those  who  do  their 

duty  in  this  life  as  Mr.  Butler  did  in  his.  H.  c.  L. 

* 

Riverside,  June  15,  1873. 

[  Commercial  of  June  13,  JS73.] 

Joseph  C.  Butler  was  the  son  of  Major  John  B.  Butler,  of 
Pittsburg.  He  was  born  in  that  city  in  1823,  his  father  at  the 
time  of  his  birth  being  the  editor  of  the  Pennsylvania  Statesman. 
Joseph  was  still  very  young  when  he  was  set  to  work  in  what 
he  used  afterward  to  call  “  the  poor  man’s  college,”  his  father’s 
printing-office.  He  began  here  that  habit  of  close  study  and 
careful  reading  that  he  maintained  through  life,  and  that  event¬ 
ually  made  him  one  of  the  best-read  business  men  in  Cincinnati. 

When  he  was  about  fourteen  years  of  age  his  father  put 
him  on  board  a  steamboat  bound  for  Cincinnati,  with  enough 
money  in  his  pocket  to  reach  this  city,  and,  with  nothing  else 
save  the  habits  of  industry  he  had  already  acquired,  a  pure  mind, 
a  little  stock  of  information,  and  a  determination  to  succeed. 

He  first  entered  the  store  of  his  uncle,  S.  O.  Butler,  who  was 
engaged  in  the  grocery  business  on  Front  Street,  near  Main. 
He  remained  with  him  but  a  short  time,  and  then,  by  his  ad¬ 
vice,  went  into  the  employ  of  John  Bailey  as  book-keeper.  This 
step  was  taken  in  accordance  with  his  uncle’s  direction,  he  tell¬ 
ing  the  boy  his  work  was  worth  more  than  he  could  afford  to 
pay.  Some  of  our  citizens  remember  him  at  that  time  as  a  little 
fellow  who  was  generally  spoken  of  in  business  circles  as  one  of 
the  most  promising  boys  about  town.  It  was  a  curious  sight  to 
see  him,  mounted  on  a  big  horse,  riding  up  from  Mr.  Bailey’s 
place  of  business  to  the  canal  to  look  after  the  shipments. 


JOSEPH  C.  BUTLER. 


115 


Though  his  health  was  good,  his  constitution  was  delicate,  and 
men  even  now  speak  of  the  wonder  they  used  to  feel  as  they 
saw  the  youngster  galloping  along  the  street,  hardly  big  enough 
to  manage  his  steed,  attending  to  business  that,  in  most  instances, 
would  have  been  intrusted  to  older  heads. 

After  leaving  Mr.  Bailey,  Mr.  Butler  formed  partnerships 
with  three  or  four  persons,  among  whom  were  James  Matthews, 
Alexander  McKinnell,  and  A.  V.  Stout.  His  sphere  .of  opera¬ 
tions  constantly  increased,  and  at  last  he  became  the  head  of  the 
house  of  Joseph  0.  Butler  &  Co.,  on  Walnut  Street.  The  close 
attention  he  paid  to  business  at  last  resulted  in  such  a  break¬ 
ing  down  of  his  health  that  he  was  compelled  to  go  to  Europe. 
Shortly  after  his  return  he  became  interested  in  the  Lafayette 
Bank,  and  has  been  connected  for  the  last  few  years,  and  down 
to  the  time  of  his  death,  as  its  president. 

This  is  the  brief  record  of  the  business  life  of  a  man  who 
has  been  identified  with  the  interests  and  enterprises  of  Cincin¬ 
nati  for  the  last  thirty  years  and  more,  and  who  has  been  con¬ 
nected  with  the  origin  and  growth  of  many  of  the  institutions  of 
the  city  that  are  now  firmly  established. 

Thus  he  was  one  of  the  few  men,  the  late  R.  M.  W.  Taylor 

'  * 

being  another,  who  originated  the  daily  sessions  of  the  Chamber 
of  Commerce.  He,  with  the  others,  took  a  pledge  to  attend  the 
meetings  daily,  whether  there  was  business  or  not,  and  he  stood 
faithfully  by  his  agreement.  The  constitution  of  the  Chamber 
was  a  matter  of  deep  study* and  interest  to  him,  and  he,  proba¬ 
bly  as  much  as  any  other  man,  has  been  instrumental  in  bring¬ 
ing:  about  the  changes  that  have  been  made  from  time  to  time. 
He  served  as  its  president  from  1860  to  1862,  declining  to  allow 
the  use  of  his  name  for  a  second  term. 

A  similar  interest  he  manifested  in  the  Young  Men’s  Mer¬ 
cantile  Library  Association.  We  believe  he  was  one  of  the 
founders  of  this  institution,  and  certainly  it  never  had  a  warmer 
or  more  discreet  friend. 


116 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


Mr.  Butler,  while  a  conservative  man,  was  gifted  with  un¬ 
usual  executive  ability,  keen  discrimination,  and  rare  foresight. 
He  made  no  great  and  sudden  gains,  but  neither  did  he  meet 
with  losses.  He  accumulated  property  steadily;  as  one  expressed 
it,  “  Every  thing  he  touched  seemed  to  turn  to  gold.”  His  way 
of  doing  business  was  quiet,  but  so  systematic  that  he  accom¬ 
plished  a  vast  amount.  He  never  seemed,  never  was,  in  a  hurry, 
but  every  moment  told.  His  reputation  for  sagacity  made  his 
advice  sought  -after  by  persons  in  all  stations.  A  friend  said  to 
us  on  Saturday  that  only  two  days  before  he  had  seen  in  Mr. 
Butler’s  office,  waiting  for  his  counsel,  a  poor  washerwoman- 
and  a  railroad  president.  His  advice  was  given  to  all  with  the 
same  unwearying  courtesy,  the  same  gentle  decision.  Probably 
the  suggestions  of  no  man  in  the  city  have  been  sought  for  more 
frequently  than  his,  and  he  lias  been  called  upon  to  settle  dis¬ 
puted  questions  and  estates  to  an  extent  that  would  surprise  our 
citizens  could  the  actual  facts  be  stated. 

We  have  spoken  of  his  accumulation  of  property.  He  started 
poor.  Every  cent  he  had  he  made  himself.  In  his  own  per¬ 
sonal  habits  he  was  simple  as  a  child.  He  was  economical  in  his 
methods  of  doing  business.  Many  of  our  merchants  will  remem¬ 
ber  the  odd  bits  of  paper  on  which  he  used  to  write  his  business 
notes.  This  economy  was  apparently  the  result  of  principle. 
H  e  seemed  to  regard  it  as  a  sin  to  waste  anv  thing. 

But  this  economy  did  not  extend  to  his  charities.  His  gen¬ 
erosity  was  princely.  Abstemious  himself,  he  gave  with  a  lib¬ 
erality  that  was  most  generous  and  touching. 

What  he  did  for  his  mother’s  family  we  may  not  state,  other 
than  to  say  that  his  filial  and  fraternal  obligations  were  fulfilled 
in  the  most  ample  and  generous  way.  His  private  benefactions 
were  constant  and  unceasing.  Thev  were  seldom  of  a  kind  that 

O  w 

came  to  the  public  notice,  the  two  sums  he  contributed  to  the 
Catholic  society  for  hospital  purposes  being  splendid  exceptions 
to  this  remark. 


JOSEPH  C.  BUTLER. 


117 


Toward  the  close  of  his  life,  Mr.  Butler’s  business  relations 
were  largely  extended.  He  was  the  president  of  the  Lafayette 
Bank;  he  was  a  director  and,  we  believe,  the  treasurer  of  the 
Little  Miami  Railroad  ;  he  had  a  large  iron  property  in  Ken¬ 
tucky,  and  was  much  interested  in  real  estate.  These  various 
interests  had  been  growing  on  him  for  several  years,  and  were, 
perhaps,  in  part,  the  reasons  why  his  attention  had  not  been 
turned  more  to  politics.  He  had  always  his  own  clearly-defined 
ideas  regarding  the  affairs  of  the  nation  and  the  state,  but,  we 
believe,  never  held  any  other  office,  either  by  election  or  appoint¬ 
ment,  than  that  of  director  of  the  House  of  Refuge.  In  1864 
he  ran  against  General  Hayes  for  Congress  from  the  Second 
District,  but  was  defeated.  In  1868  he  was  a  delegate  to  the 
National  Democratic  Convention.  As  we  write,  we  do  not  re¬ 
call  any  other  instance  in  which  lie  came  prominently  before 
the  people. 

And  vet  he  was  one  of  the  kind  of  men  whose  services  the 
people  need.  Of  an  integrity  that  has  never  once  during  his 
thirty  years  of  mercantile  life  been  questioned;  of  an  executive 
capacity  that  has  brought  him  into  the  foremost  rank  of  busi¬ 
ness  men;  of  an  energy  of  purpose  that  overcame  all  obstacles; 
of  an  inflexibility  of  will  that  it  was  hard  to  change;  of  singular 
clearness  of  perception  and  quickness  of  tho  nglit  , — lie  was  a  man 
who  would  have  served  the  public  well  in  some  more  conspicu¬ 
ous  stations.  But  he  lived  and  died  devoted  to  business,  his 
attention  engrossed  in  that. 

o 

H  is  health  has  been  poor  for  several  years.  He  was  never  a 
strong  man,  and  only  his  methodical  habits  enabled  him  to  ae- 
complish  the  work  he  did.  Twice  within  a  short  time  he  has 
been  afflicted  with  vertigo  or  paralysis;  and  he  was  informed  by 
both  his  physician  and  friends  that  he  must  cease,  to  some  ex¬ 
tent,  his  work.  It  was  in  conformity  with  their  directions  that 
he  was  preparing  a  little  series  of  Summer  excursions,  and  of 
which  the  one  he  began  the  other  day  proved  to  be  the  last  as 


118 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


well  as  first.  Nevertheless,  though  he  lived  in  full  consciousness 
that  “  the  shadow  dreaded  of  man  ”  was  bv  his  side,  his  natural 
cheerfulness  never  seemed  to  forsake  him.  He  looked  forward  to 
his  death  as  an  event  from  which  there  was  no  escaping,  and  he 
made  his  preparations  calmly  and  courageously  to  meet  it.  To 
a  friend  who  happened  in  his  office  on  Thursday  last,  he  said  he 
did  not  expect  to  live  a  great  while. 

Mr.  Butler  leaves  a  wife  and  seven  children.  Two  of  the 
bovs  are  at  home.  Mrs.  Butler  and  five  children  are  now  in 

4/ 

Europe.  News  of  their  great  bereavement  was  telegraphed  to 
them  on  Saturday’. 

To  them  is  left  the  precious  legacy  of  a  pure,  upright,  gen¬ 
erous  life.  Of  few  that  die  can  the  words  of  Tennyson  be  better 
used,  that  he 

v  “  Wore  the  white  flower  of  a  blameless  life.” 


IG*  zctle,  June  ij,  iSyS.  ] 

The  news  of  the  sudden  death  of  Joseph  0.  Butler,  Esq.,  as 
it  circulated  on  our  streets  vesterdav  morning,  created  a  verv 
sad  sensation,  especially  among  the  mercantile  and  business 
community,  to  whom  he  was  universally  known  and  as  univers¬ 
ally  esteemed.  The  deceased  had  been  for  many  years  one  of 
our  most  enterprising  and  successful  wholesale  grocers,  in  which 
business  he  acquired  a  very  considerable  fortune.  This  he  in¬ 
vested  in  the  Lafayette  Bank,  one  of  the  oldest,  soundest,  and 
wealthiest  of  all  our  financial  institutions,  and  of  which  he  was 
elected  president.  He  managed  it  with  consummate  skill  and 
ability — so  much  so  that  there  were  few  indeed  of  our  capitalists 
whose  names  inspired  greater  confidence  in  anything  that  looked 
to  solvency  or  business  profits.  But  he  was  much  more  than  a 
mere  business  man.  He  possessed  intellectual  attainments,  aside 
and  distinct  from  that,  of  a  high  order.  In  regard  to  public 
and  political  affairs  he  was  excellently  well  informed,  and  he 
took  a  deep  interest  in  them.  Iiis  mind  was  well  cultivated 


JOSEPH  C.  BUTLER. 


119 


and  richly  stored,  not  only  with  the  knowledge  gained  by  valu¬ 
able  experience  and  observation,  but  that  derived  from  extensive 
reading.  His  great  success  as  a  merchant  and  banker  was  not 
owing  to  any  accident,  to  any  successful  speculation,  but  was 
the  fruit  of  original  thought  and  unremitting  industry.  A  man 
of  the  world,  spending  most  of  his  time  in  his  store  or  his 
office,  he  yet  did  not  neglect  that  higher  and  nobler  side  of 
humanity  which  finds  its  best  development  in  the  bestowal 
of  public  and  private  charity.  His  magnificent  endowment  of 
a  hospital,  under  the  direction  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity,  well 
illustrates  this  feature  of  his  character. 

A  number  of  years  ago,  in  connection  with  Lewis  Worthing¬ 
ton,  Esq.,  he  purchased  the  Marine  Hospital,  on  the  corner  of 
Third  and  Lock  Streets,  from  the  United  States  Government,  at 
a  cost  of  $50,000,  and  dedicated  it  to  the  purpose  to  which  we 
have  alluded.  His  interest  in  it  was  unabated,  and  only  recently 
he  bought  $14,000  worth  of  property  as  an  additional  endow¬ 
ment  to  the  Sisters. 

Humane  to  man,  he  was  one  of  the  first  to  respond  to  the 
late  movement  in  this  citv  in  behalf  of  the  brute  creation  against 
cruelty  and  oppression,  and  by  the  large  Society  for  the  Preven¬ 
tion  of  Cruelty  to  Animals  was  elected  its  first  treasurer,  which 
*  * 

society  will  take  appropriate  steps  in  relation  to  his  death. 

We  have  said  that  he  had  an  interest  in  politics,  but  it  was 
never  as  an  office-seeker.  He  uniformly  declined  the  acceptance 
of  any  political  position.  The  only  exception  that  occurs  to  us 
was  in  1 864,  when  he  accepted  the  unanimous  nomination  for 
Member  of  Congress,  which  was  tendered  him  by  the  Democratic 
Convention  in  the  Second  District  of  Hamilton  County.  He 
was  not  elected,  as  the  district  was  then  strongly  Republican, 
being  beaten  bv  General  Haves.  In  1868  he  was  chosen  as  one 
of  the  delegates  to  the  Democratic  National  Convention,  held 
in  New  York,  for  the  nomination  of  President  and  Vice-Presi¬ 
dent,  which  position  he  accepted  from  his  regard  to  the  Hon. 


120 


MEMORIAL  ASSOC f A  TIOX. 


George  H.  Pendleton,  who  was  then  a  prominent  candidate  for 
President  of  the  United  States.  Although  not  ultra,  he  was 
always  a  decided  and  pronounced  Democrat,  and  his  advice  anti 
aid  were  uniformly  given  to  that  organization. 

To  those  intimately  acquainted  with  him  his  death  was  not  a 
surprise.  His  close  and  unremitting  attention  to  business  for 
many  years  had  told  upon  him,  and  long  ago  it  was  feared  that 
he  was  killing  himself  by  his  labors  in  the  bank  parlor.  In  our 
judgment,  he  died  a  martyr  to  that  overwork  which  is  so  emi¬ 
nently  and  sadly  a  characteristic  of  American  business  and  pub¬ 
lic  men.  Yet,  despite  this,  he  was  actively  engaged  in  his 
ordinary  transactions,  and  apparently  was  in  his  usual  health 
and  spirits  when  he  was  so  suddenly  stricken.  There  is  in  this 
something  which  overwhelmingly  impresses  us  with  a  sense  of 
our  mortality.  "What  a  remarkable  mvsterv  is  the  human  svs- 
tern,  with  all  its  various  organism  and  amplification,  that  it 
should  continue  its  faithful  operation  up  to  the  very  instant  of 
time  that  it  suddenly  stops,  giving  not  the  least  warning  of  the 
catastrophe  which  is  so  soon  to  overtake  it!  Truly,  “in  the 
midst  of  life  we  are  in  death.”  Not  the  least  attendant  of  this 
sad  affliction  is  the  fact  that  Mr.  Butler’s  family  are  at  present 
in  Europe,  and  the  shock  of  the  event  to  them  will  come  with 
the  suddenness  of  the  electric  telegraph. 


[. Enquirer ,  June  JJ,  1S7S .] 

Probably  Death  could  have  laid  his  sudden  hand  upon  no 
one  else  than  Joseph  0.  Butler  in  our  community  and  created 
more  universal  surprise  and  sorrow.  The  record  of  his  all  too 
brief  and  valuable  life  is  given  elsewhere.  Ours  the  sad  task 
of  briefly  recounting  the  closing  scenes  of  his  busy  career. 

Reinvigorated  by  his  recent  European  trip,  Mr.  Butler  was 
in  the  best  of  health  when,  on  Friday  evening,  in  company  with 
his  friend,  Mr.  A.  S.  Winslow,  he  started  on  a  business  trip  up 
the  river,  intending  to  visit  the  iron  and  coal  mines  at  Ashland, 


.JOSEPH  C.  BUTLER. 


121 


in  which  ho  held  a  large  interest.  Finding  on  the  same  boat 
Mr.  Stephen  H.  Burton,  an  old  friend,  and  other  business  ae- 
quaintanoes  en  route  to  White  Sulphur  Springs,  Virginia,  to 
meet  the  editorial  excursion  coming  to  this  city,  Mr.  Butler 
and  Mr.  Winslow  concluded  to  extend  their  trip  that  far.  At 
supper  time  Mr.  Butler  ate  quite  heartily,  and  afterward  sat  on 
the  deck  of  the  steamer  outside  the  cabin,  conversing  with  his 
traveling  companions,  until,  finding  the  breeze  where  he  was  sit¬ 
ting  rather  too  strong,  he  changed  to  a  more  protected  spot  on 
the  other  side  of  the  boat,  and  talked  with  the  well-known  iron¬ 
master,  Mr.  McConnell,  on  business  matters  in  which  they  had 
a  mutual  interest.  Suddenly  Mr.  McConnell  noticed  that  Mr. 
Butler  altered,  and  said  :  “  Mr.  Butler,  you  seem  ill.  Shall  I 
get  you  some  medicine?”  “  Xo,”  said  Mr.  Butler,  “it  will  pass 
off  directly.”  “Will  you  have  a  glass  of  water,  then?”  asked 
Mr.  McConnell,  and,  on  Mr.  Butler  signing  yes,  rose  to  obtain 
it.  On  returning  he  found  the  sick  man  speechless,  and  from 
that  time  until  his  death,  rather  more  than  an  hour  later,  Mr. 
Butler  never  spoke  again.  Dr.  Dandridge,  Jr.,  was  on  the 
boat,  and  did  all  in  his  power  to  relieve  the  attack  with  such 
remedies  as  were  at  hand,  hoping  to  reach  Maysville  with  him 
and  secure  the  additional  Services  of  Dr.  Duke.  All  efforts, 
however,  proved  unavailing,  and  just  before  the  boat  touched 
the  Maysville  wharf  a  great  and  very  good  man  peaceably  died. 

The  attack  came  on  between  Augusta  and  Ripley,  and  death 
between  Ripley  and  Maysville.  On  reaching  Maysville,  Dr. 
Duke  met  the  boat  in  response  to  a  telegram  from  Ripley.  He 
extended  to  Mr.  Butler’s  friends,  Messrs.  Winslow  and  Burton, 
the  courtesies  of  his  home,  and  remained  with  them  there  until 
an  early  hour  yesterday  morning,  when  the  Bostonci  touched  on 
her  down  trip,  and  Mr.  Butler’s  remains  were  transferred  to 
her  to  be  brought  to  this  city,  where  they  arrived  about  ten 

O  v  '  » 

o’clock,  and  were  taken  charge  of  by  Mr.  John  P.  Epply,  and 

removed  to  Mr.  Butler’s  late  residence  on  Mt.  Auburn. 

9 


122 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


As  elsewhere  stated,  Mr.  Butler  leaves  a  widow  and  seven 
children,  all  but  two  boys  being  in  Europe.  The  eldest  boy 
was  at  Ashland  when  the  sad  event  took  place;  the  other,  aged 
fifteen,  drove  his  father  to  the  F/eeticood  when  he  started  on 
the  fatal  voyage. 

The  disease  was  apoplexy,  of  which  Mr.  Butler  had  a 
premonitory  attack  some  six  weeks  ago. 

Of  course  the  news  spread  far  and  fast,  and  everywhere 
there  was  but  one  sentiment,  that  of  profound  surprise  and 
sorrow.  This  was  more  noticeable  than  is  usually  the  case  on 
such  occasions,  everywhere;  but  nowhere  was  profounder  grief 
manifested  than  that  shown  by  Sister  Anthony  and  her  colabor¬ 
ers  at  the  Good  Samaritan  Hospital,  where  stands  a  nobler  mon¬ 
ument  to  the  broad  and  non-sectarian  charity  of  the  deceased 
than  can  ever  be  appreciated  by  those  who  do  not  know  the 
whole  story. 

Among  the  business  community  were  those  who  had  known 
“  Joe  Butler  ”  best  and  longest,  and  among  them  sadness  also 
prevailed.  AY  hen  .  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  assembled,  Pres¬ 
ident  Covington  announced  the  terrible  news  as  follows: 

“  A  sad  duty  devolves  upon  me  to-day.  Joseph  C.  Butler, 
president  of  this  Chamber  during  the  year  1861-62,  and  than 
whom  no  man  in  this  city  was  better  or  more  favorably  known, 
died  of  apoplexy  at  ten  o’clock  last  evening,  on  board  the 
steamboat  Fleetwood ,  near  Maysvillc,  Ky. 

“Mr.  Butler  left  the  city  yesterday  evening,  in  his  usual 
health,  in  company  with  some  associates,  in  the  interests  of  the 
many  large  business  enterprises  with  which  he  was  connected, 
full  of  life,  of  hope,  and  of  enterprise.  To-day  all  is  stilled  in 
death. 

Joseph  C.  Butler  was  born  in  Pittsburg,  Penn.,  in  the  year 
1822,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  in  the  fifty-first  year 
'  of  his  age.  He  came  to  this  city  in  1839,  and  immediately 
engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits*  For  several  years  past  his 
more  immediate  attention  has  been  directed  to  banking.  He 


JOSEPH  C.  BUTLER. 


123 


has,  however,  had  large  interests  receiving  a  share  of  his  atten¬ 
tion  in  several  of  the  most  important  business  enterprises  of 
our  city. 

“As  a  merchant,  Mr.  Butler  was  a  man  of  large  and  liberal 
views.  Intelligent,  enterprising,  and  industrious,  he  could  com¬ 
prehend  business  wants  and  business  needs;  he  could  plan  and 
he  could  execute;  and. his  application  and  attention  to  all  his 
undertakings  commanded  and  secured  success.  He  did  not 
labor  to  accumulate  money  merely  to  be  its  possessor.  He 
sought  wealth  through  honorable  channels  as  a  means  of  doing 
good' and  accomplishing  high  and  noble  objects.  He  was  large- 
hearted,  liberal,  charitable,  and  gave  of  his  means  freely  to  every 
worthy  and  deserving  object.  By  his  munificence  to  the  Hospital 
of  the  Good  Samaritan,  an  institution  to  which,  by  express  stip¬ 
ulations  in  his  gift,  all  are  to  be  admitted,  without  regard  to 
nationality,  religious  or  medical  preferences,  and  by  his  further 
munificence  in  providing  for  the  founding  of  a  lying-in  and 
foundling  hospital,  to  be  conducted  upon  the  same  broad  and 
liberal  plan,  he  has  erected  to  his  benevolence  two  monuments 
more  enduring  than  brass,  more  honorable  than  victories  won 
upon  the  battle-field. 

“The  death  of  Joseph  C.  Butler  makes  a  vacancy  in  the 

business  circles  of  this  city  which  it  will  be  hard  to  fill.  Our 

* 

great  charities  will  not  soon  have  another  such  patron.  Deeply 
and  sincerely  do  all  classes  mourn  his  loss.  He  goes  down  to 
the  grave  honored  and  beloved,  his  memory  cherished  for  his 
many  virtues,  and  without  the  slightest  blemish  upon  his 
character.” 

Mr.  W.  H.  Davis  offered  the  following: 

“Resolved,  That  a  committee,  composed  of  the  surviving 
ex-presidents  (James  F.  Torrence,  J.  W.  Sibley,  Geo.  F.  Davis, 
Theodore  Cook,  John  A.  Gano,  and  Charles  W.  Rowland),  be 
appointed  to  give  the  voice  of  the  Chamber  an  expression  re¬ 
garding  the  death  of  Joseph  C.  Butler.” 

On  motion,  the  present  president,  S.  F.  Covington,  was  added 
to  the  committee.  The  motion,  as  amended,  then  passed. 

Mr.  Theodore  Cook  stated  that  the  funeral  of  the  deceased 


124 


MEMORIAL  ASSOC IA TION. 


would  take  place  next  Monday  or  Tuesday,  and  moved  that  the 
members  of  the  Chamber  attend  in  a  body.  Carried. 

On  motion  of  Mr.  Dexter,  as  a  token  of  respect  to  the 
memory  of  the  deceased,  the  Chamber  then  adjourned. 


Mr.  Theodore  Cook,  chairman  of  the  committee  appointed 
to  draft  resolutions  on  the  death  of  Joseph  C.  Butler,  read  the 
following  at  the  meeting  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  on  the 
16th  of  June: 

“To  the  Cl uimher  of  Commerce: 

“Mr.  Joseph  C.  Butler’s  death,  which  occurred  on  the  steamer 
Fleetwood ,  on  Friday  evening,  June  13,  1873,  near  Maysville, 
Kentucky,  was  received  in  this  city  with  feelings  of  the  deep¬ 
est  sorrow  and  regret.  His  long  connection  with  this  Chamber 
as  a  member,  and  the  official  position  which  he  at  one  time 
occupied  in  it,  together  with  his  deservedly  high  standing  in  the 
social  and  business  circles  of  the  city,  make  it  appropriate  for 
us,  his  associates  and  friends,  to  record  a  proper  tribute  to  his 
memory. 

“Your  Committee,  appointed  for  that  purpose,  present  the 
following  brief  sketch  of  his  life,  with  some  reflections  touching 
his  character  as  a  man  and  citizen  : 

“  Mr.  Butler  was  born  in  the  city  of  Pittsburg  in  the  year 
1823,  where  he  lived  with  his  parents  until  he  was  sixteen  years 
old,  and  during  which  time  he  received  the  educational  training 
of  the  common  school. 

“  In  his  boyhood  a  portion  of  his  time  was  devoted  to  work 
in  the  office  of  the  Pennsylvania  Statesman ,  a  newspaper  edited 
by  his  father,  Major  John  B.  Butler.  In  1839  he  came  to  this 
city,  and  entered  as  clerk  the  grocery  house  of  his  uncle,  S.  O. 
Butler,  where  he  continued  for  about  two  years,  when  he  ae- 
cepted  a  position  in  the  store  of  Bailey  and  Hartwell,  afterward 
John  .Bailey  &  Co. 

“  His  next  business  step  was  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Matthews  &  Butler,  grocers,  from  which  house  he  withdrew  in 
the  course  of  a  year,  and  became  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Chas. 


JUDGE  JOHN  BURGOYNE. 


125 


McKinnell  &  Co.,  who  succeeded  to  the  business  of  his  old 
employers,  John  Bailey  &  Co.  This  firm  was  afterward  changed 
to  McKinnell,  Butler  &  Co.,  and  finally  to  Joseph  C.  Butler  & 
Co.,  and  continued  as  such  in  the  enjoyment  of  great  prosperity 
until  1858,  when  Mr.  Butler,  on  account  of  failing  health,  sold 
out  his  interest,  and  retired  to  a  farm  which  he  had  purchased 
near  Madisonville,  this  county. 

u  After  a  year’s  rest  from  business,  a  part  of  which  time  was 
spent  in  travel,  finding  his  health  greatly  improved,  he,  at  the 
request  of  the  share-holders,  accepted  the  position  of  president 
of  the  City  Insurance  Company,  of  this  city,  where  he  remained 
about  two  years.  While  he  held  this  position  he  succeeded  in 
largely  improving  the  value  of  the  stock  and  increasing  the 
business  of  the  company. 

“In  1801  Mr.  Butler  became  connected  with  the  Lafayette 

4- 

Bank,  one  of  the  oldest  banking  institutions  of  the  city,  as  its 
president,  and  occupied  this  position  at  the  time  of  his  death. 
H  is  previous  business  education  had  well  qualified  him  for  this 
last  occupation  of  his  life,  and  his  success  was  as  large  as  he 
could  have  desired,  both  in  reputation  and  profits.  It  will  be 
conceded  that,  as  a  banker  and  financier  in  business  matters 
generally,  none  of  our  citizens  ranked  higher  than  Mr.  Butler.” 


JUDGE  JOHN  BURGOYNE. 

Tuesday  afternoon,  May  17,  1881,  at  a  quarter  of  one  o’clock, 
at  his  home,  on  the  corner  of  Chase  Avenue  and  Gangland 
St  reet,  Judge  Burgoyne  passed  from  this  earth  into  the  Great 
Unknown.  For  months  he  had  lingered  at  death’s  door,  and 
at  times  every  moment  was  deemed  his  last.  Day  by  day  he 
lived  on,  often  unconscious,  all  hope  of  his  recovery  abandoned, 
patiently  awaiting  the  end,  when,  surrounded  by  his  family,  lie 
peacefully  entered  the  long,  last  sleep  which  knows  no  waking. 

The  Judge  was  born  August  11,  1801,  in  Jefferson  County, 
Virginia.  He  came  to  Cincinnati  when  he  was  about  thirteen 


126. 


MEM  OR  7  A  L  ASSOCTA  TION. 


years  of  age,  and  Hamilton  County  has  been  his  place  of  resi¬ 
dence  ever  since.  The  Queen  City  of  the  West  was  in  its 
infancy  then,  and  its  inhabitants  numbered  but  thirty-five  hun¬ 
dred,  many  of  whom  were  at  that  time  absent  in  the  army  and 
on  duty  along  the  frontiers  of  the  North  and  West.  His  father 
was  a  millwright,  and  during  the  early  years  of  the  judge’s  life 
he  served  an  apprenticeship  in  the  old  flouring-mill  then  situated 
on  the  banks  of  Mill  Creek,  near  Spring  Grove. 

During  his  life  Judge  Burgoyne  served  under  no  less  than 
thirteen  commissions  from  governors  of  Ohio.  Of  this  number 
four  were  military.  He  commenced  his  political  career  in  1825, 
when  he  was  elected  constable,  during  the  time  of  the  digging 
of  the  Miami  Canal.  In  less  than  a  year  he  was  occupying  the 
position  of  magistrate  of  Millcreek  Township.  He  was  one  of 
the  most  popular  members  of  the  old  Whig  party,  and  for 
twenty-five  or  thirty  years  was  one  of  its  acknowledged  leaders. 
He  was  associate  judge  on  the  Common  Pleas  Bench  with  Judge 
Torrence,  having  been  elected  by  a  unanimous  vote  of  the  Ohio 
State  Legislature.  Under  the  new  Constitution  he  was,  in  1854, 
elected  probate  judge  of  Hamilton  County,  being  the  second 
person  to  enjoy  that  honor.  His  predecessor  was  Judge  Warren. 
He  was  elected  as  a  Know-Nothing,  and  in  1855  he  took  his 
seat.  Before  this  time  he  had  served  as  justice  of  the  peace 
under  three  governors.  For  ten  years  he  occupied  the  position 
of  township  treasurer,  and  for  six  years  he  was  a  sinking  fund 
commissioner.  He  was  sent  to  the  Legislature  several  times, 
and  was  in  both  House  and  Senate.  Four  terms  he  served  as 
county  commissioner,  and  at  one  time  he  was  a  director  of 
Longview  Asylum  and  at  another  a  United  States  marshal. 

In  private  life,  he  was  a  member  of  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  for  many  years  was  president  of  the  board  of 
trustees.  For  twenty  years  he  has  been  the  president  of  the 
National  Insurance  Company ;  and  it  is  but  recently  that  he 
resigned  the  position  to  retire  from  the  toils  of  business.  For 


JUDGE  JOHN  BURGOYNE. 


127 


five  years  the  Cincinnati  Board  of  Underwriters  made  him  their 
president,  which  office  he  faithfully  filled.  The  Biographical 
Encyclopedia  of  Ohio,  in  speaking  of  his  career;  says : 


“  His  career  has  been  strangely  blended  with  private,  civil, 
and  commercial  activities.  By  a  large  constituency,  who  had 
long  esteemed  his  worth  and  enterprise  as  a  citizen,  he  was  sent 
to  the  Legislature  of  Ohio  for  three  terms,  during  which  he 
labored  efficiently  in  the  interests  of  the  general  community. 
He  carried  the  charter  of  the  Ohio  Life  Insurance  and  Trust 
Company  through  the  Lower  House,  and  secured  other  legisla¬ 
tion  which  greatly  benefited  the  business  interests  of  the  city 
and  State.  While  on  the  Common  Pleas  bench  of  Cincinnati 
he  secured  the  appointment  of  William  Henry  Harrison  as 
clerk,  and  in  after  years  was  largely  instrumental  in  securing 
his  nomination  and  election  to  the  Presidency  of  the  United 
States.  His  career  on  the  bench  was  rendered  conspicuous  by 
a  decision  which  gave  him  no  inconsiderable  distinction  in  after 
life.  He  it  was  who  first  pronounced  from  the  bench  the  un- 
constitutionality  of  the  Fugitive-slave  Law,  a  decision  which 
led  to  one  of  the  grandest  displays  of  justice  the  world  has 
ever  known.” 


About  a  year  ago  the  Judge  met  with  an  accident  on  the 
Hamilton  pike,  being  thrown  out  of  his  carriage,  behind  a  run¬ 
away  horse.  Since  then  he  has  never  been  well,  although  able, 
after  a  time,  to  be  about.  He  had  complained  for  years  of  a 
coldness  of  extremities,  and  on  the  hottest  of  nights  he  could 
not  retire  without  something  to  keep  his  feet  warm.  This,  no 
doubt,  hastened  his  death.  His  wife,  but  a  few  years  his  junior, 
survives  him,  as  do  six  of  his  children,  three  sons  and  three 
daughters — John,  Jr.,  the  attorney;  William,  a  surveyor  of  the 
National  Insurance  Company;  Ephraim,  a  collector;  Mrs.  Mc¬ 
Donald,  of  Blue  Rock  Street,  North  Side;  Mrs.  Presley,  of  De¬ 
catur,  Ill.;  and  Mrs.  Frank  Jones,  of  Norwood.  But  one  mem¬ 
ber  of  his  family  remains — a  brother,  Ephraim  Burgovne,  the 
ex-superintendent  of  the  County  Infirmary. 


» 


i 


128 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


JAMES  CHALLEN. 

Bom  in  Hackensack,  New  Jersey,  January  29,  1802. 

Died  in  Cincinnati,  December  9,  1878. 

Few  more  admirable  men  have  lived  than  Rev.  James  Challen. 
For  more  than  half  a  century  he  went  about  doing  good,  with 
a  self-abnegation  and  strict  devotion  to  duty  rarely  seen,  even 
among  the  ministry.  The  number  of  people  he  has  baptized, 
married,  buried,  is  astonishing,  and  especially  as  many  of  them 
were  in  the  second  and  third  generation,  showing  that  his  friends 
never  forsook  him,  nor  forgot  him,  nor  grew  weary  of  him. 

He  was  educated  at  Transylvania  University,  Lexington, 
Kentucky,  when  that  institution  was  one  of  the  most  celebrated 
in  America.  The  Marquis  de  Lafayette  was  welcomed  to  its 
halls  in  a  poetical  address  by  Mr.  Challen,  then  in  his  teens. 
At  its  close,  the  marquis  affectionately  embraced  and  kissed  the 
young  poet-orator. 

He  began  to  preach  long  before  he  arrived  at  his  majority, 
and,  indeed,  became  a  pastor  before  he  was  of  age,  succeeding 
Rev.  Dr.  Fishbaek,  an  eminent  and  eloquent  Baptist  minister. 
In  1825  he  was  called  to  the  Enon  Baptist  Church  of  Cincinnati, 
then  worshiping  on  Walnut  Street,  near  Baker.  Even  that 
early  in  life,  he  cut  loose  from  human  creeds,  and  adopted  the 
Bible,  and  the  Bible  only,  as  his  rule  of  faith  and  practice.  The 
Enon  Church  followed  him,  and  went  over  in  a  body,  forming: 

'  ►  '  o 

the  First  Church  of  Disciples  of  Christ — discarding  the  name 
Baptist  for  the  name  Christian,  or  Disciple  of  Christ.  He  built 
the  Sycamore  Street  Christian  church,  and  was  its  pastor  when 
the  celebrated  debate  between  Alexander  Campbell  and  Robert 
Dale  Owen  was  held  there.  He  also  established  missions 
throughout  the  city  and  suburbs;  that  which  met  in  the  old 
cooper-shop  on  Vine  Street,  near  Front,  is  well  remembered  by 
the  writer.  It  grew  rapidly,  and  was  transferred  to  the  hall  of 


JAMES  CHAL.L.EN 


130 


ME  MORI  A  L  ASSOCIA  TIOX. 


the  engine-house,  and  soon  had  a  beautiful  little  chapel  of  its 
own  on  Third,  near  Race.  He  also  organized  and  built  up  the 
Clinton  ‘Street  Church.  At  different  periods  he  was  pastor  of 
Churches  in  Philadelphia,  Lexington,  Davenport,  and  Coving¬ 
ton,  besides  traveling  all  over  the  United  States  from  Massa¬ 
chusetts  to  Louisiana,  preaching,  teaching,  and  starting  congre¬ 
gations,  most  of  which  have  become  large  and  influential.  Ask 
the  elders  of  scores  of  Christian  Churches  who  was  their  first 
preacher,  and  they  will  tell  you  Elder  James  Challen.  As  a 
lecturer  he  was  popular  and  in  great  demand.  He  was  one  of 
the  founders  and  promoters  of  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Teach¬ 
ers,  and  a  champion  of  public  schools  long  before  they  were  per¬ 
manently  established.  He  was  essentially  a  reformer,  a  mission¬ 
ary,  a  leader.  He  was  perhaps  the  very  first  to  propose  the 
American  Christian  Missionary  Society,  and  never  missed  an 
annual  meeting  during  his  whole  life.  The  Jerusalem  mission 
was  his  pet,  and  Dr.  J.  T.  Barclay  his  protege.  His  great  work, 
“  The  City  of  the  Great  King,”  was  published  in  most  elegant  and 
artistic  style,  by  James  Challen  &  Son,  publishers,  Philadelphia. 

He  wrote  and  issued  essays,  poems,  and  books  in  great  num¬ 
ber,  which  had  a  large  sale  and  circulation  in  this  country  and 
in  Europe.  His  “Ladies’  Christian  Annual”  and  “  Challen’, s 
Illustrated  Monthly  ”  are  well  remembered  as  favorite  publica¬ 
tions  of  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago.  “  The  Cave  of  Machpelah  ” 
and  “  Igdrasil,  or  the  Tree  of  Existence,”  volumes  of  poems  by 
James  Challen,  have  given  him  an  honorable  name  as  an  author. 

As  a  man  he  was  loved  as  few  men  ever  were  for  his  kind¬ 
ness  of  heart,  gentleness  of  disposition,  and  liberality  of  spirit. 
Many  have  said  they  were  better  men  for  having  known  him, 
even  in  private  life,  and  by  his  preaching  and  writings  thousands 
have  been  converted  to  primitive  Christianity.  As  a  conversa¬ 
tionalist  he  was  wonderfully  gifted.  His  voice,  though  manly, 
was  remarkably  sweet  and  clear.  His  forte  was  pathos ;  he 
touched  the  tenderest  chords  of  the  soul  with  a  master  hand. 


JAMES  CHALLEN. 


131 


It  is  related  of  him  that  once  he  was  preaching  in  a  magnolia 
grove,  in  Louisiana;  there  were  many  proud  and  wealthy  plant¬ 
ers  in  his  audience.  He  preached  “of  righteousness,  of  tem¬ 
perance,  and  of  the  judgment  to  come.”  Suddenly,  when  all 
were  listening  with  wrapt  attention,  a  planter  arose,  and  raising 
his  hands  toward  heaven,  exclaimed,  at  the  top  of  his  voice : 
“  If  these  things  are  true,  I  am  guilty,  lost,  and  doomed  to  per¬ 
dition” — and  fled  from  the  audience.  By  a  skillful  reference  to 
the  tragic  scene,  he  turned  it  to  good  account,  and  converted 
many  of  his  hearers.  A  Church  was  organized.  For  months, 
and  even  years,  the  conscience-stricken  planter  would  not  come 
to  any  of  the  services.  But  it  Avas  noticed  that  he  quit  drink¬ 
ing  and  swearing  and  all  his  evil  ways.  At  last  he  became  a 
true  and  good  Christian  and  a  staunch  pillar  of  the  Church. 

One  of  the  notable  events  in  Cincinnati,  in  May,  1878,  was 

_  ,  t 

the  golden  wedding  of  James  Challen  and  Eliza  Bradford.  The 
songs,  the  poems,  the  addresses,  the  golden  words,  were  prized  far 
more  than  the  rich  and  rare  and  numerous  golden  gifts.  The 
grace  and  elegance  with  which  the  venerable  but  still  beautiful 
pair  presided  was  most  observable.  The  entertainment  of  the 
occasion  was  unsurpassed.  Nothing  was  wanting  to  make  it 
perfect.  Every  one  there  was  happy,  and  none  so  perfectly  joy¬ 
ous  and  joy-giving  as  the  bride  and  groom. 

Down  to  a  few  weeks  before  his  death  Mr.  Challen  was 
engaged  in  ministerial  labors.  At  last  the  warning  came.  His 
physicians  pronounced  it  heart  disease.  His  children  were  sum¬ 
moned  from  the  East  and  from  the  West.  Joseph  J.  Challen, 
of  Chicago;  Howard  Challen,  publisher,  of  Philadelphia;  David 
C.  Challen,  Mrs.  William  Walker,  and  James  E.  Challen,  Esq., 
the  well-known  lawyer  of  Cincinnati,  and  numerous  grandchil¬ 
dren,  were  gathered  at  his  bedside  to  witness  one  of  the  most 
touching  and  impressive  death-bed  scenes  ever  vouchsafed  to 
mortals.  To  each  and  all  he  gave  words  of  counsel,  of  wisdom, 
of  hope,  and  of  blessing;  and  to  his  aged  and  devoted  wife,  a 


132 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


most  eloquent  and  pathetic  benediction.  He  then  folded  his 
arms  upon  his  breast  and  peacefully  awaited  the  coming  of  the 
great  Master  he  had  served  so  well.  He  came  and  closed  those 
bright  eyes,  and  hushed  those  fervent  lips.  “  He  is  not  dead, 
he  sleeps,”  said  they.  That  silence — who  shall  break  it?  Long 
they  lingered  and  looked;  and  to  this  day  all  who  saw  that  holy 
man  wafted  away,  feel  that  he  died  not — he  was  transfigured. 

Among  the  eulogies  that  have  been  pronounced  and  pub¬ 
lished  upon  the  life  of  James  Challen,  a  few  words  from  that  of 
his  co-laborer  in  the  Central  Christian  Church, Rev.  Isaac  Errett, 
will  show  the  high  esteem  in  which  he  was  held  by  those 
capable  of  judging.  After  the  biographical  sketch,  he  summed 
up  the  features  of  his  life  and  character  as  follows: 


“1.  The  devotion  to  truth  which  led  him,  when  yet  a  young 
man,  to  turn  his  back  on  all  the  rising  prospects  of  honor  and 
fame,  and  identify  himself  with  a  very  unpopular  and,  at  that 
time,  feeble  religious  movement,  which  had  no  honors  to  bestow, 
and  gave  little  promise  of  the  rapid  and  extensive  victories 
which  it  afterward  won. 

“  2.  The  gentleness  and  cheerfulness  of  spirit  which  he  ever 
possessed,  even  when  in  hot  warfare  with  the  prejudice  and  big¬ 
otry  of  the  age.  While  uncompromising  in  the  advocacy  of 
what  he  accepted  as  the  truth,  and  bold  in  assault  on  what  he 
regarded  as  sanctified  error,  he  was  ever  refined,  gentle,  and 
loving. 

“  3.  The  happy  combination  of  qualities  and  forces  that 
made  him  great  rather  in  the  harmonious  assemblage  of  powers 
than  in  the  prominence  of  any  peculiar  gifts.  He  combined 
logical  and  hortatory  powers  in  admirable  proportion.  He  was 
a  calm  reasoncr,  an  earnest  pleader,  a  sweet  singer,  an  impress¬ 
ive  reader,  a  ready  writer,  a  fair  poet,  a  lover  of  literature  and 
the  fine  arts.  He  possessed  excellent  social  qualities,  was  cheer¬ 
ful  without  levity,  and  grave  without  austerity.  It  is  difficult  to 
say  wherein  he  excelled,  for  he  did  every  thing  well  that  came 
to  his  hand  to  be  done,  and  sought  no  conspicuity  in  any  special 
line  of  attainment. 


JAMES  CHALLEN. 


133 


“  4.  The  purity  of  his  life.  Through  all  the  theological 
conflicts  of  his  early  ministerial  life,  through  all  the  toils  of 
his  ripe  manhood,  through  all  the  temptations  and  trials  which 
necessarily  belong  to  an  earnest  nature  and  an  active  life,  he 
preserved  a  spotless  reputation  and  commanded  to  his  latest  day 
the  confidence  and  respect  of  all  who  knew  him 

“  I  never  saw  him  carried  beyond  his  usual  gentleness  and 
equanimity  but  once.  Then  he  was  thoroughly  angry.  I  am 
happy  to  say  that  I  saw  him  once  thoroughly  angry;  for  I  place 
a  low  estimate  on  a  nature  which,  in  as  crooked  a  world  as  this, 
is  never  aroused  to  indignation.  I  regard  it  as  among  the  ap¬ 
proved  tokens  of  his  manhood  that,  in  the  presence  of  what 
seemed  to  him  great  meanness  and  great  wrong,  he  burst  forth 
in  a  torrent  of  wrathful  rebuke,  and  poured  a  scalding  hot 
stream  of  indignant  censure  upon  the  offenders. 

“  5.  In  his  all-absorbing  devotion  to  his  work  he  forgot  all 
earthly  ambitions.  I  have  been  looking  over  what  he  called  an 
autobiographical  sketch,  which  he  began  but  never  finished.  I 
was  disappointed.  I  searched  it  for  facts  which  I  could  not 
find.  It  is  not  so  much  a  sketch  of  James  Challen  as  a  sketch 
of  the  life  and  character  and  offices  of  Jesus  Christ.  He  sat 
down  to  write  of  himself,  but  his  pen  glided  away  into  his 
favorite  theme,  and  wrote  of  the  excellency  of  the  knowledge 
of  Christ  Jesus  his  Lord.  It  is  characteristic,  and  furnishes  a 
valuable  lesson  to  preachers. 

“  It  is  not  surprising  that  his  end  was  peaceful.  Calmly,  and 
without  a  fear,  he  looked  at  death.  With  patriarchal  grace  and 
dignity  he  counseled  and  blessed  his  wife  and  children,  and 
bade  adieu  to  friends,  and  then,  setting  his  face  homeward, 
patiently  waited  for  that  ‘  rest  which  remaineth  for  the  people 
of  God.’  His  life  has  set 

“  ‘As  sets  the  morning  star,  which  goes 
Not  down  behind  the  darkened  west,  nor  hides 
Obscured  amidst  the  tempests  of  the  sky, 

But  melts  away  into  the  light  of  heaven.’  ” 


134 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


REV.  BISHOP  D.  W.  CLARK,  D.  D. 

David  Wasgatt  Clark  was  born  on  the  island  of  Mt. 
Desert,  Maine,  February  25,  1812,  and  died  in  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  May  23,  1871. 

He  was  converted  when  he  was  a  boy,  and  he  and  his 
mother  were  two  of  the  thirteen  who  constituted  the  first 
Methodist  society  in  that  place.  His  mother  was  a  superior 
woman.  He  acknowledged  his  indebtedness  to  her  counsels 
and  influence,  and  always  spoke  of  her  in  terms  of  tenderest 
reverence. 

He  had  intended  following  the  sea,  but  his  conversion  gave 
a  new  direction  to  his  thoughts  and  plans.  He  never  wavered 
from  the  determination  then  formed  to  consecrate  his  life  and 
labors  to  the  work  of  the  ministry  in  the  Methodist  Church.  In 
after  years  fair  openings  for  the  study  and  practice  of  the  law, 
as  well  as  brilliant  opportunities  for  a  political  career,  opened 
themselves  before  him,  but  he  never  lost  sight  of  his  higher 
calling. 

Principally  through  his  own  efforts  he  obtained  a  classical 
education.  He  graduated  in  1836,  in  the  full  course  of  the 
Wesleyan  University,  Middletown,  Conn. 

Immediately  after  graduating  he  was  employed  in  Amenia 
Seminary,  New  York,  first  at  the  head  of  the  mathematical 
department,  afterward  as  president.  Such  was  the  reputation 
he  gained  here  as  an  educator,  that  he  was  elected  presi¬ 
dent  of  three  several  colleges,  and  had  a  large  vote  for  the 
presidency  of  his  alma  mater ,  the  Wesleyan  University  of  Mid¬ 
dletown. 

While  president  at  Amenia  he  published  a  work  on  algebra. 
It  met  with  great  favor ;  but  the  plates  were  lost  in  the  fire  that 
destroyed  the  publishing-house  of  the  Harpers.  This,  and  the 
event  of  his  entering  the  regular  work  of  the  ministry,  directed 


BISHOP  D.  W.  CLARK. 


135 


his  thoughts  into  other  channels,  and  the  course  of  mathematical 
text-books  was  never  completed. 

He  joined  the  New  York  Conference,  and  successfully  filled 
five  appointments,  two  of  which  were  in  prominent  Churches  in 
New  York  City. 

As  a  minister  he  was  profound,  thoughtful,  sober  and  earnest. 
His  published  sermons  are  models  of  clear  and  careful  expo¬ 
sition,  of  sound  doctrine,  and  of  effective  appeal. 

His  sympathies  were  always  enlisted  in  behalf  of  the 
poor.  The  oppressed  and  suffering  found  in  him  a  true  and 
ready  friend.  He  hated  slavery,  and  upon  the  adoption  by 
Congress  of  the  noted  “  compromise  measures,”  including  the 
atrocious  “  Fugitive-slave  Law,”  he  did  not  hesitate  to  denounce 
them  as  iniquitous  and  not  binding  on  the  consciences  of 
Christians. 

In  1852  he  was  elected  editor  of  the  Ladies’  Repository ,  a 
literary  and  religious  periodical  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  He  retained  this  office  for  twelve  years. 

The  Repository  reached  a  circulation  equaled  by  few  of  the 
monthlies  of  the  country. 

Though  not  a  voluminous  writer,  he  gave  to  the  Church  and 
the  world  several  valuable  works.  Besides  a  large  number  of 
books  that  he  edited,  he  is  the  author  of  “  Elements  of  Alge¬ 
bra,”  1842;  “  Mental  Discipline,”  1847;  “  Death-bed  Scenes,”' 
1851;  “  Life  and  Times  of  Bishop  Hedding,”  1855;  “  Man  All 
Immortal,”  1864;  “  Sermons,”  1868;  together  with  lectures 
and  discourses  in  pamphlet  form.  His  contributions  to  the 
Church  periodicals  and  secular  prints  would  make  several  vol¬ 
umes  more. 

At  the  General  Conference  of  1864  he  was  elected  to  the 
Episcopacy,  from  which  period  to  his  death  he  was  abundant  in 
labors. 

The  General  Conference  is  one  of  the  largest  ecclesiastical 
bodies  that  convenes  in  the  country,  composed  at  that  time  of 


136 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


eight  hundred  delegates,  for  the  most  part  representative  men 
in  their  several  localities,  many  of  them  able,  even  brilliant,  in 
debate. 

Master  of  parliamentary  usages,  he  was  a  good  presiding 
officer.  Enforcing  order,  preserving  his  poise  in  confusion,  and 
maintaining  the  dignity  and  authority  of  his  position,  he  never 
hesitated  when  a  question  was  sprung,  but  with  surprising  readi¬ 
ness  he  solved  what  seemed  to  others  obscure  or  intricate. 
His  rulings  were  seldom  excepted  to,  never  reversed.  He  was 
especially  distinguished  for  his  almost  unerring  impulses,  and 
for  his  fidelity  to  his  convictions  of  truth.  During  the  term  of 
his  public  life  many  questions  of  more  than  ordinary  interest 
were  agitated  in  the  Church  and  in  the  country.  In  all  he  was 
found  on  the  side  of  the  right. 

He  was  a  resident  of  Cincinnati  for  nineteen  years,  during 
which  time  he  was  prominent  before  the  Church  and  com¬ 
munity.  As  a  scholar  he  was  appointed  examiner  of  teachers 
for  our  public  schools;  was  president  of  the  board  of  trustees 
of  the  Cincinnati  Wesleyan  College,  and  of  the  Ohio  Wesleyan 
University. 

As  a  minister  his  services  were  sought,  it  being  no  uncom¬ 
mon  thing  for  him  to  be  called  to  fill  Presbyterian  or  Baptist 
pulpits,  when  Churches  of  these  denominations  were  deprived  of 
their  regular  supplies. 

As  a  bishop  the  Methodists  looked  up  to  him  as  a  safe  coun¬ 
selor,  as  a  man  of  liberal  views  and  broad  capacity. 

As  a  friend  he  was  one  of  those  attractive  men  whom  it  was 
a  pleasure  to  know. 

As  a  citizen  he  was  always  ready  to  do  his  share  in  all  public 
movements  for  the  good  of  the  community. 

Cincinnati  and  the  Methodist  Church  are  indebted,  in  a 
large  degree,  to  him  for  the  erection  of  those  two  elegant  church 
edifices,  Trinity  and  St.  Paul,  and  the  elegant  building  of  the 
Wesleyan  College.  To  these  he  contributed  largely  of  his  time, 


WILLIAM  CROSSMAN. 


137 


advice,  and  means.  He  practiced  what  he  preached — the  duty 
of  liberality  in  Christian  enterprises. 

Bishop  Clark  was  one  of  the  principal  movers  in  the  organ¬ 
ization  of  the  Theological  Library  Association  in  this  city. 
Possessed  of  no  denominational  bigotry,  but  on  the  broad  foun¬ 
dation  of  Christian  brotherhood  and  philanthropy,  he  gave  his 
labors  and  influence  to  the  organization  of  the  Evangelical  Alli¬ 
ance  of  this  city,  being  president  at  the  time  of  the  adoption  of 
the  celebrated  “  doctrinal  .basis.” 

His  health  failed  in  1870.  His  decease  is  a  loss  to  the 
world.  He  gave  to  it  a  good  life — a  bright  example  of  the 
highest  type  of  Christian  manhood. 


WILLIAM  CROSSMAN 

Was  born  in  Massachusetts,  came  to  Cincinnati  in  1814,  died  in 
1863,  seventy-five  years  of  age.  In  the  roll  of  public  duties 
that  for  nearly  half  a  century  he  filled,  he  was  identified  with 
city  benevolent  and  public  charities  in  the  position  of  township 
trustee  and  infirmary  director ;  also,  thirty  years  a  member  of 
board  of  trustees  of  the  Cincinnati  Orphan  Asylum.  An  evi¬ 
dence  of  the  high  estimation  in  which  his  ability  and  integrity 
was  held  by  his  contemporaries  is  the  fact  that  he  was  admin¬ 
istrator,  executor,  or  trustee  in  the  settlement  of  a  majority  of 
the  large  estates  in  this  county  for  over  forty  years.  Among 
the  last  was  the  Hathaway  estate,  and,  at  the  time  of  his  death, 
the  McMicken  bequest.  Mr.  Crossman  was  an  exemplary  mem¬ 
ber  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  earnest,  firm,  and  genial — one 
who  cheerfully  did  the  work  set  down  in  life’s  great  problem 
for  him  to  do.  If  it  is  true,  as  Carlyle  said,  “that  sincerity 
is  the  one  all-important  fact  about  a  man,”  then  it  is  in  the 
lives  of  sincere  men  that  we  should  expect  to  find  the  history  of 
a  nation’s  greatness. 


10 


138 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


JANE  V.  CROSSMAN. 

Jane  V.  Crossman,  wife  of  William  Crossman,  was  born  in 
Massachusetts,  of  a  Presbyterian  family,  and  became  a  member 
of  the  Society  of  Friends  after  her  marriage.  She  was  also 
identified  with  city  benevolence,  and  many  tireless  hearth¬ 
stones  and  desolate  hearts,  in  the  past,  have  been  warmed  into 
new  life  and  warmth  by  the  genial  kindness  and  well-timed  as¬ 
sistance  of  Mrs.  Crossman,  until  her  name  and  charity  in  the 
mouths  of  the  poor,  the  unfortunate,  the  sick  and  forlorn,  be¬ 
came  as  synonymous  terms.  She  lived  to  be  over  eighty  years 
of  age,  an  unassuming,  quiet,  earnest  woman,  one  who  thought 
and  worked  with  an  eye  single  to  the  duties  marked  out  for  her, 
silently  and  unconsciously  gave  tone  to  her  own,  and  left  a  dis¬ 
tinct  and  acknowledged  mark  upon  the  succeeding  generation. 


CAPTAIN  JOHN  C.  CULBERTSON 

Was  born  in  Franklin  County,  Pennsylvania,  September  19, 
1791,  of  one  of  the  old  families  of  the  u  Keystone  State.” 
When  quite  a  boy,  he  commenced  life  clerking  in  a  store  at 
Newville,  Cumberland  County. 

When  the  aggressions  of  Great  Britain  became  so  intolerable 
that  from  self-respect  and  for  self-protection  the  United  States 
was  compelled  to  declare  war,  in  1812,  the  young  clerk  forgot 
every  thing  about  business,  and  was  at  once  commissioned  ensign 
of  the  Twenty-second  Regiment  United  States  Infantry,  by 
President  James  Madison,  and  ordered  to  duty  with  the  brigade 
of  General  Winfield  Scott,  on  the  Canadian  border.  Ensign 
Culbertson  was  in  all  the  engagements  of  that  memorable  cam¬ 
paign,  being  twice  severely  wounded ,  and  for  heroism  at  the 


CAPTAIN  JOHN  C.  CULBERTSON. 


139 


battle  of  Chippewa  was  rewarded  with  a  lieutenant’s  commis¬ 
sion,  and  in  1819  honored  with  the  full  rank  of  captain,  which 
he  retained  till  1821,  when  he  returned  to  civil  life  in  conse¬ 
quence  of  a  reduction  of  the  army. 

While  stationed  in  the  West,  Captain  Culbertson  saw  what 
remarkable  openings  there  were  for  good  business  men,  and,  not 
forgetting  the  practical  lessons  learned  in  early  life,  when  he 
retired  from  the  service,  at  once  embarked  in  the  Santa  Fe 
trade,  in  which,  during  a  continuance  of  seven  years,  he  accu¬ 
mulated  a  large  fortune,  when  he  abandoned  the  frontier,  and  in 
1828  came  to  Cincinnati  to  reside. 

Captain  Culbertson,  having  ample  capital,  immediately  became 
interested  in  banking,  and,  if  we  mistake  not,  in  1833,  in  con¬ 
nection  with  John  Groesbeck  and  John  Kilgour,  organized  the 
firm  of  “  Groesbeck  &  Co.,”  which  was  long  known  as  the 
“  House  of  the  Three  Johns,”  which  was  considered  one  of  the 
most  conservative  and  solid  banks  of  the  country.  It  was  the 
depository  of  the  public  funds  of  both  city  and  county,  un¬ 
flinchingly  withstanding  the  terrible  financial  crashes  of  1837, 
1847,  and  1857,  and  retaining  the  confidence  of  the  community 
till  the  firm  retired  from  business. 

While  an  intense  Whig,  and  afterwards  an  ardent  and  un¬ 
compromising  Republican,  Captain  Culbertson  never  had  any 
taste  or  inclination  for  office,  and  on  several  occasions  refused  to 
accept  nominations  from  his  party  for  prominent  positions,  when 
the  same  were  equivalent  to  election. 

i 

Captain  Culbertson  was  a  man  of  strong  convictions,  and 
great,  positive  character,  who  did  his  own  thinking,  and  in 
every  thing  acted  from  his  own  convictions  of  right  and  wrong. 
He  was  for  many  years  a  member  of  the  Fifst  Presbyterian 
Church,  devoting  a  great  deal  of  time  to  superintending  the 
erection  of  their  present  house  of  worship;  but  in  later  years 
he  joined  the  Central  Church,  on  Mound  Street. 

Acquaintances  found  him  pleasant,  agreeable,  and  social; 


140 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


and  from  his  varied  life  and  public  services,  he  was  one  of  the 
most  entertaining  of  hosts. 

For  outward  or  public  charity  the  captain  had  no  respect; 
and  yet  for  private,  discriminating  philanthropy'  he  entertained 
the  greatest  admiration,  never  failing  to  give  liberally  to  every 
worthy  object. 

In  matters  of  business  Captain  Culbertson  was  extremely 
methodical  and  careful,  habits  learned  during  his  long  connec¬ 
tion  with  the  regular  army  ;  and  yet,  while  thus  wanting  things 
just  right,  he  was  lenient  and  sympathetic  to  the  unfortunate. 

In  h  is  domestic  life  Captain  Culbertson  was  a  faithful  hus¬ 
band  and  an  indulgent  father,  at  his  death  leaving  a  widow  and 
large  family  of  children,  several  of  whom  are  still  residents 

of  this  city.  Be  b. 

%/ 


MRS.  ANN  DAVIS 


Was  born  near  Aberaeron,  Wales,  in  April,  1797.  In  the  Spring 
of  1818  her  father,  John  Jones,  concluded  to  join  a  party  of 
neighbors,  and,  with  his  family,  emigrate  to  America.  After  a 
tempestuous  voyage  of  over  six  weeks,  the  party  landed  at  Alex¬ 
andria,  Virginia.  This  was  the  first  party  of  British  emigrants 
who  had  landed  at  that  port  since  the  war  of  1812.  So  impor¬ 
tant  was  the  event  considered  that  President  Monroe  and  his 
cabinet  went  down  to  receive  them,  and  the  citizens  vied  with 
each  other  in  extending  them  courtesy  and  hospitality. 

As  their  destination  was  Ohio,  they  purchased  the  wagons 
and  horses  necessary  to  convey  their  household  goods  over  the 
mountains  to  Pittsburg,  and  the  entire  party,  men,  women,  and 
children,  followed  on  foot,  camping  out  at  night.  Arriving  at 
Pittsburg,  they  purchased  a  flat-boat,  and  floated  down  the 
Ohio  Biver  to  Cincinnati.  It  was  July,  and  the  weather  being 
intensely  hot  and  their  diet  necessarily  coarse  and  different  from 


MRS.  ANN  DA  VIS. 


141 


their  accustomed  food,  dysentery  broke  out,  and  many  of  the 
party  were  prostrated  with  it.  Among  the  number  was  Mrs. 
Davis’s  father.  When  the  boat  landed  at  Cincinnati,  the  citizens, 
learning  that  there  was  sickness  on  board,  and  fearing  that  it  was 
contagions  in  its  character,  were  reluctant  to  admit  any  of  the 
afflicted  party  to  either  the  public  or  the  private  houses  of  the 
city.  In  this  dilemma,  Nicholas  Longworth  threw  open  a  house 
near  his  own  home,  and,  with  the  assistance  of  Samuel  W.  Davies, 
subsequently  mayor  of  the  city,  and  Mr.  Wade,  conveyed  all  of 
the  sick  to  it,  and  personally  administered  to  their  necessities. 
Here  Mrs.  Davis’s  father  died.  The  name  of  Nicholas  Long- 
worth  ever  afterward  was  sacred  in  her  memory,  and  was 

never  mentioned  except  with  profound  veneration  and  tender 

* 

emotion. 

Among  the  adventurous  young  men  who  were  members  of 
the  party  was  one,  William  Davis  by  name,  who,  although  born 
and  reared  within  nine  miles  of  Mrs.  Davis’s  Welsh  home,  first 
made  her  acquaintance  on  shipboard,  and  won  her  affections  be¬ 
fore  they  arrived  in  Cincinnati.  They  twain  became  one,  and 
sought  a  home  on  a  farm  in  a  Welsh  settlement,  with  an  Irish 
name — Paddy’s  Pun — Butler  County,  Ohio. 

In  this  country  home  were  born  four  of  their  eniklren — John, 
Mary,  Timothy,  and  Margaret.  John  is  now  a  physician  in  Cin¬ 
cinnati  ;  Marv  became  the  wife  of  Professor  William  G.  Will- 
iams,  of  the  Ohio  Wesleyan  University;  Timothy  is  in  the 
United  States  revenue  service  of  Cincinnati;  and  Margaret  be¬ 
came  the  wife  of  the  late  Bev.  Erwin  House.  After  five  or  six 
years  of  farm  life  they  returned  with  their  familv  to  Cincinnati. 
Here  William  B.  was  born.  He  is  now  a  practicing  physician  in 
Cincinnati.  All  the  above-named  children  are  still  living,  save 
Mary,  who  died  in  1872.  Four  other  children  were  born  to 
them,  but  they  died  during  infancy.  Mr.  Davis  died  in  the  year 
1849,  and  since  then  Mrs.  Davis  has  made  her  home,  most  of  the 
time,  with  her  son,  Dr.  John  Davis. 


142 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


Mrs.  Davis  was  a  woman  of  very  pronounced  character. 
With  a  vigorous  body  was  joined  a  very  powerful  mind.  The 
chief  characteristics  of  the  latter  were  cheerfulness,  tenderness, 
earnestness,  uncompromising  principle,  unquestioned  piety,  and 
absolute  fearlessness  in  the  discharge  of  duty.  She  had  a  most 
remarkable  knowledge  of  the  Holy  Scriptures.  The  Bible  was 
almost  her  one  book,  and  so  thoroughly  was  she  acquainted  with 
its  contents  that  she  could  furnish  quotations  from  it  on  almost 
every  subject.  Her  death  occurred  in  Cincinnati,  October  3, 
1879,  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-three  years. 


.  JOSEPH  DRAPER. 

The  subject  of  the  following  brief  sketch  was  orn  near  Trow¬ 
bridge,  England,  in  1801.  He  came  to  this  country  in  1810, 
accompanied  by  his  father,  who,  remaining  with  him  only  for  a 
short  time,  started  back  to  England  to  bring  his  wife  and  other 
children  to  this  wonderful  El  Dorado,  but  was  drowned  just  be¬ 
fore  the  vessel  reached  England,  thus  leaving  his  young  son,  at 
the  early  age  of  nine  years,  alone  in  a  strange  land.  But  cir¬ 
cumstances  like  this  often  make  our  very  best  men,  necessitating 
self-reliance  and  diligence  in  their  very  earliest,  formative,  years. 
Thus  it  proved  with  Joseph  Draper,  who  went  to  Wilmington, 
Delaware,  and  apprenticed  himself  to  an  old  citizen  in  the 
silversmithing  business,  making  enough  to  clothe  and  educate 
himself,  by  working  before  and  after  ordinary  hours;  so  that 
we  are  not  surprised,  in  a  few  years,  to  find  success  so  crowning 
his  labors  as  to  enable  him  to  open  a  silversmith  and  jewelry 
store  in  the  little  Quaker  settlement  of  Wilmington,  Delaware. 
In  this  place  Mr.  Draper  made  three  very  important  steps  in 
life.  First,  and  certainly  we  must  say  the  best,  he  became  a 
Christian,  connecting  himself  with  the  Baptist  Church  ;  next, 
he  became  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order,  that  all  through  his 


JOSEPH  DRAPER. 


143 


subsequent  life  proved  such  a  source  of  pleasure  to  him ;  and, 
last,  he  wooed  and*  won  a  pretty  English  girl,  who  came  with 
him  to  Cincinnati  in  1832.  He  was  the  first  manufacturer 
of  silverware  in  this  city,  and  the  first  jeweler  on  West  Fourth 
Street,  where  he  began  business  in  what  is  now  No.  19  West 
Fourth  Street.  He  subsequently  removed  to  the  west  side  of 
Main  Street,  between  Third  and  Fourth  Streets,  midway  of  the 
square,  now  No.  129. 

Subsequently  removing  to  No.  16  West  Fourth  Street,  he 
remained  in  the  same  calling  until  1856,  a  period  of  about 
thirty  years.  During  his  residence  in  Cincinnati  he  was,  at 
different  times,  a  director  in  one  of  our  old  banks,  president  of 
the  Queen  City  Fire  and  Marine  Insurance  Company,  a  trustee 
of  the  Cincinnati  College  of  Medicine  and  Surgery  for  many 
years,  one  of  the  original  stockholders  of  the  Cincinnati  and 
Covington  Suspension  Bridge  Company,  and  a  director  of  our 
City  Infirmary.  In  the  latter  position  he  made  many  friends 
among  the  helpless  and  neglected  poor,  who  greeted  his  visits 
at  the  Infirmary  with  unfeigned  joy.  An  old  blind  woman 
used  to  say  of  him  there,  “We  never  had  so  kind  a  director  as 

V  ' 

Joseph  Draper  since  I’ve  been  here.”  And,  indeed,  all  through 
his  life  his  heart  went  out  in  tenderest  sympathy  to  the  orphan 
and  widow,  who  came  confidently  to  him  for  advice  and  help. 

Immediately  upon  coming  to  Cincinnati,  in  1832,  he  con¬ 
nected  himself  with  the  Lafayette  Lodge  of  Free  Masons,  of 
this  city,  and  continued  one  of  its  most  influential  members 
until  failing  health  prevented  his  taking  a  part  in  active  lodge- 
room  work.  The  trust  reposed  in  him  by  his  brother  Masons 
was  practically  shown  in  their  electing  him  their  treasurer  for 
twenty  consecutive  years. 

Of  his  private  home  and  social  life,  we  need  only  say  that 
he  was  very  affectionate  and  thoroughly  devoted  to  the  interests 
of  those  most  intimately  associated  with  him.  Indulgent  almost 
to  a  fault,  his  children  remember  him  with  tenderest  reverence, 


144 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


while  hosts  of  friends  reeall  his  name  as  that  of  one  very 
precious  to  memory.  * 

Joseph  Draper  died  in  his  sixty-fourth  year,  wonderfully 
upheld  by  the  consolations  of  the  religion  he  sought  and  found 
in  youth.  A  member  for  thirty-two  years  of  the  Ninth  Street 
Baptist  Church  of  this  city,  he  was  buried  from  its  sacred  altar 
with  Masonic  honors.  He  left  a  wife,  two  sons,  and  four  daugh¬ 
ters,  all  now  surviving  him,  while  he  himself  lies  beside  four 
little  ones  in  the  beautiful  cemetery  of  Spring  Grove. 


A.  H.  ERNST, 

One  of  our  most  highly  esteemed  and  honored  citizens,  deserves 
more  than  a  passing  notice.  He  was  born  in  Koringen,  Ger¬ 
many,  February  3,  1796,  coming  with  his  parents  to  Cincinnati 
in  1806,  there  being  but  ten  houses  here  at  the  time.  His  father 
and  grandfather  both  held  position  of  burgomaster  in  their 
native  city,  which  involved  the  duty  of  commissary  to  collect 
supplies  for  Napoleon’s  army,  frequently  requiring  them  to  take 
the  last  sous  from  a  widow  and  destitute  children.  This  so 
affected  the  warm  heart  of  his  father  as  to  induce  him  repeat-  ' 
edly  to  request  permission  to  resign;  but  being  steadily  refused, 
he  determined  to  leave  his  country  at  all  risks,  coming  here  with 
his  wife  and  family — A.  H.  Ernst  being  his  oldest  son,  then 
ten  years  of  age,  a  stranger  to  our  language  and  people,  doing 
as  did  all  at  that  time,  just  what  his  hands  could  find  to  do. 
His  father  died  after  a  few  years,  leaving  him,  a  mere  boy,  to 
support  a  large  family. 

It  was  at  this  time  he  taxed  his  iron  frame  and  indomitable 
energy,  opening  a  confectionery  and  baking  establishment.  By 
his  faithfulness  to  business  and  family,  he  won  the  respect  of  the 
whole  community.  He  afterward  went  into  the  grocery  busi¬ 
ness,  but  the  bulk  of  his  fortune  was  made  by  shrewd  invest- 


DAVID  K.  ESTE. 


145 


ments  in  real  estate.  Some  years  after  he  turned  his  attention 
to  the  cultivation  of  fruit  and  flowers,  which  was  a  life-long 
passion  with  him  for  thirty  years.  At  the  time  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  at  Spring  Garden,  February  13,  1861,  he  was 
president  of  the  Horticultural  Society,  being  one  of  its  first 
founders,  president  of  the  Ohio  Pomological  Society,  and  one 
of  the  most  active  trustees  of  Spring  Grove  Cemetery,  doing 
much  to  add  to  its  beauty.  He  was  a  man  of  great  mind  and 
sterling  qualities,  and  his  whole  pride  centered  in  Cincinnati. 


DAVID  IC.  ESTE. 

The  bar  of  Cincinnati  have  cause  to  be  proud  of  the  persons 
who  have  at  different  periods  been  residents  here,  and  practiced 
law  before  the  courts  of  Hamilton  County.  Of  all  who  have  thus 
shed  luster  upon  our  city,  none  were  longer  or  better  known  than 
the  late  Judge  David  K.  Este,  who  was  for  many  years  consid¬ 
ered  the  Nestor  of  Ohio  lawyers. 

Judge  Este  was  born  at  Morristown,  New  Jersey,  in  1785, 
and  after  a  most  thorough  preparatory  training,  graduated  at 
Princeton,  in  his  native  State,  1803,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  five  years  later.  In  1809  he  came  West  to  the  then  new 
State  of  Ohio,  and  settled  in  Cincinnati  in  1814,  which  city  was 
afterward  his  home  till  his  death,  April  1,  1876.  From  the  day 
he  landed  here,  young  Este  was  looked  upon  as  a  man  of  brill¬ 
iant  future  promise.  His  mind  was  stored  with  the  fundamental 
principles  of  English  law,  and  his  preparation  of  a  ease  was 
never  excelled ;  so  that,  when  he  appeared  before  the  court,  he 
was  always  ready,  and,  for  one  with  such  an  immense  and  varied 
practice,  unusually  successful.  With  his  brilliant  splendor,  he 
was  methodical,  plodding,  believing  that  real  success  was  oftener 
reached  by  hard  toil  than  by  meteoric  genius. 

Judge  Este,  after  practicing  some  years,  was  elected  presid- 


146 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


ing  judge  of  the  First  Judicial  Circuit  of  Ohio,  where  he  soon 
achieved  a  wide-spread  reputation  for  the  clearness  of  his  decis¬ 
ions.  After  long  service  in  this  position,  he  was  elected  judge 
of  the  old  Superior  Court  of  Cincinnati,  where  he  remained  till 

the  vear  1848,  when  he  declined  all  further  honors,  and  retired 

%>  ' 

to  private  life,  respected  and  honored  by  the  entire  community; 
the  only  position  he  retained  being  that  of  president  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  and  an  officer 
in  the  church  to  which  he  was  long  a  leading  member. 

Judge  Este  was  ever  a  polished,  courteous  gentleman,  quiet 
and  plain  in  every  thing,  yet  possessed  of  immense  business  force 
and  power,  through  which  he  was  enabled  to  see  the  future 
greatness  of  Cincinnati;  and,  taking  advantage  of  his  judgment, 
he  accumulated  a  vast  fortune,  which  he  managed  with  great 
skill  and  care. 

He  was  a  man  who  had  the  utmost  contempt  for  all  outward 
show,  and  believed  that  all  charity  should  be  given  freely,  and 
without  being  heralded  forth  to  the  world. 

For  many  years  in  later  life,  the  venerable  man  daily  took 
his  ramble  along  Fourth  Street,  cordially  greeting  all  his  friends. 

Judge  Este  left  a  widow  and  three  children — Mrs.  Louisa  E., 
wife  of  Hon.  Wm.  A.  Fisher,  a  leading  member  of  the  Balti¬ 
more  bar;  Col.  Wm.  M.  Este,  of  New  York,  and  I).  K.  Este, 
Jr.,  a  well-known  business  man  of  Cincinnati. 


REV.  JOHN  F.  FORBUS. 

Some  of  our  noblest  and  purest  citizens  came  here  from  Balti¬ 
more,  among  the  number  being  Rev.  John  F.  Forbus,  who  was 
born  in  the  latter  city  on  the  4th  of  August,  1804,  and  came  to 
Cincinnati,  April  26,  1836,  and  died  here,  October  29,  1876,  in 
the  seventy-third  year  of  his  age. 

4 

Those  who  now  take  an  elegant  car  at  an  Atlantic  city,  and 


REV.  JOHN  F.  FOR  BUS. 


147 


in  a  few  hours  are  whirled  to  points  hundreds  of  miles  away, 
little  surmise  the  task  it  was  to  come  to  the  West  about  a  half 
a  century  since.  Now  all  is  comfort  and  ease,  with  the  pleasure 
of  hearing  from  friends  left  behind  every  hour,  if  so  wanted  ; 
while  in  the  earlier  days  of  the  century,  when  you  left  friends 
and  kindred  at  home  to  be^in  life  in  the  new  country,  it  was 
generally  with  the  thought  that  you  were  bidding  them  a  final 
farewell;  and  Mr.  Forbus  was  no  exception  to  the  general  rule. 

Being  of  Scotch  descent,  and  full  of  the  sterling  integrity 
and  thrift  of  that  noble  people,  when  a  young  man  he  learned 
the  trade  of  a  tanner,  soon  becoming  a  most  excellent  workman ; 
in  fact,  one  of  the  best  of  the  craft.  Having  by  strict  economy 
prospered  and  done  well,  on  the  22d  of  June,  1829,  Mr.  Forbus 
was  married  in  Baltimore  to  a  most  excellent  Christian  young 
lady,  Miss  Catherine  Schrote,  and  seven  years  later,  in  1836,  came 
with  his  family  to  this  city  to  reside. 

In  those  days  there  were  no  favorite  routes  to  fortune;  the 
goal,  if  reached  at  all,  must  be  attained  by  hard  work  and  will¬ 
ing  self-denials;  and  these  conditions  the  young  couple  gladly 
accepted,  as  final  victory  would  then  be  so  much  the  greater 
prize.  As  years  passed  by,  labor  was  triumphant,  and  it  was  not 
long  before  Mr.  Forbus  was  one  of  the  rich  men  of  the  city, 
honored  and  respected  as  a  merchant  of  sterling  integrity,  whose 
friendship  was  prized  by  an  immense  circle  of  personal  and 
business  friends. 

Mr.  Forbus,  in  very  early  life,  became  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  in  the  complete  success  of  which 
he  used  every  effort,  and,  to  enable  him  to  do  greater  and  more 
effective  work,  he  was  a  local  preacher  of  the  denomination  for 
many  years.  Believing  in  the  merits  of  the  religious  faith  with 
which  he  was  so  prominently  identified,  there  was  no  enterprise 
of  the  denomination  to  which  he  did  not  lend  cheerful  aid. 
While  having  no  regard  for  ostentatious  charity,  in  a  quiet, 
manly  way,  guided  by  conscience,  Mr.  Forbus’s  pocket  was  always 


148 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


open  to  calls  for  help,  and  there  is  not  a  single  charity  in  our 
great  city  to  which,  in  the  days  of  his  prosperity,  he  was  not  a 
liberal  and  constant  contributor.  He  delighted  in  doing  good 
for  all,  and  filling  his  own  home  with  sunshine  and  happiness. 
As  a  merchant,  his  word  was  his  bond ;  as  a  Christian  and 
minister  of  the  gospel,  his  very  soul  beamed  with  religion,  kind¬ 
ness,  and  good-will  toward  his  fellow-man;  and  though  in  the 
latter  days  of  his  life  he  had  many  business  reverses,  he  ever  re¬ 
mained  the  same  honest,  firm,  true  man,  respected  and  honored 
by  the  entire  community. 

The  aged  widow,  the  wife  of  this  most  excellent  man  for 
nearly  half  a  century,  and  seven  adult  children,  all  respected  in 
the  community  where  they  were  born  and  raised,  survive  the  de¬ 
parture  of  that  father,  whose  nobility  and  great  moral  worth  they 
fully  appreciate,  and  have  such  just  cause  to  be  proud  of. 

De  B. 


JOSEPH  GEST 

Was  born  at  Sadsbury,  Lancaster  County,  Pennsylvania,  March 
4,  1776.  He  died  in  Cincinnati,  February  23,  1863.  His  par¬ 
ents,  Joseph  Gest  and  Deborah  Dickinson,  continued  their  resi¬ 
dence  after  marriage  in  the  same  homestead  until  their  deaths,  and 
were  buried  in  the  grounds  of  the  “  Sadsbury  meeting  ”  near  by. 

The  grandparents  of  Joseph — the  subject  of  this  memoir — 
were  Henry  Gest  and  Mary  Clemsen.  Henry  Gest  was  born  near 
Birmingham,  England  (then  a  community  of  only  five  thousand), 
in  1658,  and  there  baptized,  as  evidenced  by  the  records  at  the 
venerable  St.  Martin’s  Cathedral  (still  standing)  at  that  place, 
June  19th  of  that  year.  In  1682  to  1683  he,  in  company  with 
the  initial  colonists  of  William  Penn,  moved  to  America,  and 
settled  near  where  “  Old  Concord  ”  now  is,  to  the  west  of  the 
Delaware,  and  some  fifteen  miles  to  the  south-west  of  the  site 


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JOSEPH  GEST. 


Born 

Married 

Settled 

Died 


Sadsbury,  Lancaster  County,  Pennsylvania, 
Rebekah  Moore,  Sadsbury  Friends  Meeting, 
In  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 

February  23,  1863.  Buried  in  Spring  Grove, 


March  4,  1776. 
April  14,  1813. 

1813 

1863 


150 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


chosen  by  Penn  for  his  city  in  the  new  world.  His  father-in-law, 
James  Clemsen,  an  Englishman,  also  (but  a  member  of  the  So¬ 
ciety  of  Friends),  settled  in  the  same  vicinity  in  1696. 

The  earliest  known  members  of  the  Gest  family  appear  as 
holders  of  lands  near  Caen,  Normandy  (France),  previous  to  the 
conquest,  and,  according  to  “Domesday-book,”  “  Sarac  held  Lav- 
ertestoche;  Gest,  his  brother,  held  it  in  the  time  of  King  Edward ; 
Sarac  holds  Wintreburne,”  both  manors  in  Wiltshire,  England. 
They  held  lands  of  the  Manor  Lega,  in  County  Salop,  for  some 
three  centuries  after  the  Norman  conquest.  The  earliest  will  of 
which  there  is  legible  record  at  Litchfield,  England,  is  that  of 
“Thomas  Gest,  of  Tong,”  dated  1567.  From  this  Saxon  or 
Norman  house  have  descended  the  several  families  who  figured 

O 

in  the  earlier  English  and  American  history,  under  the  various 
spellings  of  the  name,  Gest,  Geste,  Gist,  Guest,  and  Ghest. 

In  the  time  of  Henry  VII,  John  Gest  and  his  wife,  Mar¬ 
garet  Hawkes,  held  Hansworth,  in  Staffordshire,  near  Birming¬ 
ham,  to  which  manor  their  son,  Richard  Gest,  who  died  in  1541, 
succeeded;  after  whom  came  Richard’s  son,  John  Gest,  who  died 
in  1601.  This  son,  John  Gest,  had  two  sons,  Richard,  the  elder, 
becoming  heir  to  the  Hansworth  estate,  and  being  ancestor  of 
the  three  brothers  Sir  Ivor  Bertie  Guest  (now  the  Honorable 
Lord  Wimbornc),  Montague  John  Guest,  and  Arthur  Edward 
Guest,  members  of  Parliament.  Their  parents  were  Sir  Josiah 
John  Guest,  of  Dowbais,  and  Lady  Charlotte  Elizabeth  Bertie, 
only  daughter  of  Albemarle,  ninth  earl  of  Lindsav.  It  is  to 
Lady  Charlotte  Guest  that  the  English  speaking  world  is  so 
deeply  indebted  for  “  Mabinogion,”  the  first  successful  collection 
of  Welsh  legends  presented  to  the  public,  a  work  involving  such 
extensive  and  arduous  original  research  that  it  seems  almost  in¬ 
credible  that  a  lady  of  her  position  should  have  possessed  the 
ability,  inclination,  and  time  to  carry  it  out.  Henry,  the  younger 
son  of  John  Gest  above,  married  Dorothea  Smallwood,  of  Quey- 
slade,  and  is  the  ancestor  of  Joseph  Gest,  of  Cincinnati. 


JOSEPH  GEST. 


151 


Our  Joseph  Gest  inherited  the  paternal  homestead  at  Sads¬ 
bury,  Lancaster  County,  Pennsylvania ;  but,  as  his  taste  was  not 
agricultural,  he  early  studied  surveying,  and  afterwards  adopted 
it  and  engineering  as  his  profession.  As  a  surveyor  he  had  no 
superior,  having  natural  gifts  for  its  requirements,  and  so  suc¬ 
cessful  was  he  in  discovering,  re-establishing,  and  verifying  orig¬ 
inal  land  lines,  so  far  lost  as  to  occasion  dispute  between  the 
parties  interested  and  other  surveyors,  as  well  as  also  the  un¬ 
earthing  of  original  measurements  and  other  evidences  of  iden¬ 
tification,  that  he  became  authority  neither  to  be  questioned  nor 
overruled,  often  exciting  wonderment  as  to  the  facility  with 
which  he  discovered  original  land-marks  and  drew  unquestion¬ 
able  conclusions.  In  1817  he  visited  the  West,  passing  through 
Cincinnati  into  the  wilderness  well  towards  the  Wabash,  mak¬ 
ing  the  trip  from  Sadsbury  and  return  entirely  on  horseback.  A 
year  later,  1818,  he,  with  his  wife  and  infant  daughter  moved 
to  Cincinnati,  the  Avhole  distance  being  passed  over  in  a  barouche, 
often  through  a  wilderness,  and  mostly  over  unmade  roads;  his 
household  effects  going  by  wagon  to  Pittsburg,  and  thence  to 
destination  by  keel-boat,  the  then  best-known  mode  of  navigat¬ 
ing  the  Ohio  River. 

At  Cincinnati  he  at  once  entered  on  the  duties  of  his  pro¬ 
fession.  When  Thomas  Henderson,  in  1819,  retired  from  the 
office  of  city  surveyor,  Mr.  Gest  was  appointed  to  the  vacancy, 
which  position,  in  connection  with  that  of  city  civil  engineer,  he 
held  until  the  year  1844,  when  he  retired  on  account  of  failing 
eyesight,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son  Erasmus.  Afterwards  he 
became  totally  blind,  thence  living  in  the  closest  seclusion  for 
the  remainder  of  his  life. 

Mr.  GesPs  father,  Joseph  Gest,  previous  to  his  marriage  with 
the  Quakeress,  Deborah  Dickinson,  31st  July,  1765,  at  the 
Friends  meeting-house  of  Sadsbury,  as  well  also  his  ancestors, 
were  of  the  Church  of  England.  Since,  the  family  has  been 
identified  with  the  Society  of  Friends.  Joseph,  the  subject  of 


152 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


this  memoir,  and  Rebekah  Moore,  both  members  of  the  Society 
of  Friends  by  birth,  were  married  at  the  same  Salisbury  meeting¬ 
house,  14th  of  April,  1813,  in  which  were  solemnized  the  nup¬ 
tials  of  their  parents  forty-seven  years  previously,  and  which 
these  parents  had  in  their  youth  assisted  in  founding  and  build¬ 
ing.  In  his  views  of  religion  he  was  exceedingly  liberal,  and 
was  always  tolerant  towards  those  whose  opinions  on  the  polit¬ 
ical  and  social  questions  of  the  day  differed  from  his  own.  He 
was  attractive,  genial,  and  social  to  all,  and  a  favorite  and 
universally  respected  member  of  society. 

In  the  public  welfare  Mr.  Gest  took  the  greatest  interest, 
and,  in  a  quiet,  unobtrusive  way,  was  always  found  encouraging 
useful  enterprises.  Especially  was  he  active  in  initiating  and 
developing  the  various  organizations  for  extinguishing  fires  and 
for  protecting  property.  It  was  then  a  great  honor  to  belong  to 
these  volunteer  companies,  as  the  members  gave  not  only  their 
time  and  labor  without  receiving  any  compensation,  but  also  con¬ 
tributed  largely  to  the  cost  of  machinery  and  appliances,  cloth¬ 
ing,  and  every  thing  belonging  to  the  service.  Few  persons  to¬ 
day  arc  aware  of  the  great  exertion  and  risk  of  life,  expense  in 
maintaining  the  machinery,  and  other  necessaries,  and  of  the 
innumerable  other  requirements.  He  exposed  himself  during 
the  excitement  incident  to  conflagrations,  and  continued  to  take 
an  active  part  in  one  or  the  other  of  those  protective  societies 
until  far  advanced  in  life. 

It  was  due  to  Mr.  Gest’s  efforts,  in  connection  with  those  of 
Dr.  Slack  and  Nathan  Guilford,  that  the  public  was  aroused 
to  the  importance  and  necessity  of  a  public  school  system. 
The  public  meetings  called  for  the  purpose  of  establishing 
.schools  were  so  little  appreciated  for  several  years  preceding  the 
founding  of  the  Ohio  system  of  free  education  that  Dr.  Slack, 
Mr.  Guilford,  and  Mr.  Gest  were  often  the  only  attendants. 
They  did  not,  however,  become  discouraged  at  this  apathy  on 
the  part  of  the  public ;  but  woidd  at  once  proceed  to  organize 


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REBEKAH  GEST. 


Born  Sddslcury,  Lancaster  County,  Pennsylvania, 
Married  Joseph.  Gest,  Sadshnry  Friends  Meeting, 
Settled  In  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 

Died  February  24,  18S9.  Buried  in  Spring  Grove, 


August  15,  1791. 
April  14,  1813. 

1818. 

1869. 


154 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIA TION. 


and  adopt  measures  that  were  the  next  day  set  forth  as  the 
evening’s  doings  of  a  public  assembly.  Thus  were  these  gentle¬ 
men  the  pioneers  who  roused  that  public  sentiment  which 
resulted  in  the  public  schools  of  the  State  of  Ohio. 

Mr.  Gest  was  connected  with  the  old  Cincinnati  College, 
and  for  many  years  acted  as  one  of  the  trustees  of  the  Ohio 
Medical  College.  He  also  was  instrumental  in  securing  and 
establishing  the  Western  Branch  of  the  American  Bible  Society 
at  Cincinnati,  with  which  he  was  connected  as  treasurer  until 
its  dissolution  many  years  after. 

Soon  after  the  parent  Bank  of  the  United  States  established 
its  Cincinnati  branch,  Mr.  Gest  was  chosen  one  of  its  trustees, 
and  held  the  position  until  the  closing  of  that  institution. 

In  1823  Alfred  Kelly  and  Micajah  T.  Williams  were  chosen 
acting  commissioners,  with  plenary  power,  under  the  laws  au¬ 
thorizing  the  location  and  building  of  the  Ohio  canals.  Mr. 
Gest,  by  reason  of  his  profession,  was  frequently  consulted  by 
them,  and  early  came  into  very  intimate  and  confidential  rela¬ 
tion  with  Samuel  Forrer,  Joseph  Ridgeway,  and  Jesse  L.  Will¬ 
iams,  the  chief  engineers  in  charge  of  the  construction.  When 
their  duty  called  them  to  Cincinnati,  Mr.  Gest’s  residence  was 
their  head-quarters.  The  result  of  this  association  was  to  place 
these  gentlemen  among  Mr.  Gest’s  most  intimate  friends.  Mr. 
Gest  was  also  the  capitalist  of  the  wholesale  house  known  as 
“  Gest  &  Rocky,”  from  1818  to  1843.  In  the  organization 
of  the  Mechanics’  Institute  he  was  very  active.  Nearly  every 
Church  and  charitable  institution  in  Cincinnati  was  in  some 
way  aided  by  him. 

But  few  of  the  many  acquaintances  of  Mr.  Gest  were  aware 
that  his  quiet,  genial,  and  sympathizing  demeanor  concealed  a 
discernment  that  read  their  inmost  characters,  and  probably  not 
another  man  in  Cincinnati  was  so  well  informed  as  to  the  his¬ 
tory  and  peculiar  traits  of  its  individual  citizens.  In  his  char¬ 
acter  the  strong  point  was  an  unshaken  independence  of  thought 


JOSEPH  GEST. 


155 


and  action.  This  feature  is  exemplified  by  the  course  he  pur¬ 
sued  during  the  violent  agitation  among  the  members  of  the 
Society  of  Friends,  occasioned  by  the  preaching  of  Elias  Flicks. 

Mr.  Hicks  was  unfortunate  in  using  language  which  could 
be  variously  interpreted.  This  ambiguity  of  speech  produced 
the  bitter  and  intense  animosity  which  finally  brought  about  a 
separation  of  the  original  Society  into  two  factions.  The  faction 
calling  itself  Orthodox  fastened  upon  the  other  the  name  Hicks- 
ite.  The  orthodox  section  in  Cincinnati  went  so  far  as  to  with¬ 
draw  from  the  old  meeting-house,  and  erect  a  new  building 
within  the  same  grounds  for  itself ;  and  then  proceeded  to  dis¬ 
own  all  who  would  not  follow  them,  among  whom  were  Mr. 
Gest  and  several  others  who  had  persisted  in  occupying  their 
accustomed  seats  at  the  head  of  the  meeting  in  the  old  building. 

Mr.  Gest  was  specially  waited  upon  by  a  committee  of  the 
seceders,  or  self-styled  “Orthodox”  faction,  and  was  asked  to 
express  regret  at  his  attendance  at  the  preaching  of  Flicks.  This 
he  declined  to  do,  and  said  :  “  Nothing  has  been  preached  that 
is  not  in  perfect  harmony  with  orthodox  teachings,  and,  further¬ 
more,  if  there  has  been,  I  claim  the  right  of  listening  to  whom¬ 
soever  I  choose,  and  you  have  no  right  to  call  me  to  order  for 
so  doing.” 

His  wife,  Rebecca,  survived  him  several  years.  She,  too, 
had  geniality  of  temper,  practical  good  sense,  and  positive  char¬ 
acter  ;  all  which,  in  connection  with  the  simple  tastes  and  do¬ 
mestic  house-wife  habits  acquired  in  her  youthful  days  at  her 
Pennsylvania  home,  made  her  a  congenial  and  hearty  co-oper¬ 
ator  with  her  husband,  and  their  home  one  of  essential  comfort 
and  intelligence. 

Such,  in  brief,  is  the  history  of  one  of  Cincinnati’s  earlier, 
honored,  active,  and  useful  families  (the  parents  of  Clarissa, 
Erasmus,  and  Joseph  J.  Gest). 


156 


MEMO  III  A  L  A  SSOCIA  TION. 


MRS.  PETER  GIBSON, 

‘‘The  Friend  of  the  Wounded  Soldier.” 

Often  the  remark  was  made,  “  What  noble  woman  is  that '?” 

'  \ 

“  Who  is  No.  183?”  by  visitors  in  the  Memorial  Gallery,  and 
the  catalogue  of  pictures  gave  back  the  answer,  u  Mrs.  Peter 
Gibson.”  No  nobler,  grander  face  was  there  in  that  vast  col¬ 
lection.  It  was  the  very  ideal  of  human  heart  and  human 
kindness — a  soul  in  sympathy  with  the  misfortunes  of  others,  and 
ever  ready  to  lift  the  burden  from  the  weary  and  heavy-laden. 

Mrs.  Gibson’s  maiden  name  was  Miss  Martha  Balden.  She 
was  born  in  Gifford,  Scotland,  April  3,  1802,  and  in  the  Spring 
of  1825  married  to  Peter  Gibson,  and  came  with  him  and  two 
children  to  Cincinnati  in  1831,  where  she  resided  for  almost 
fifty  years,  or  up  to  the  time  of  her  decease,  May  13,  1878. 

Peter  Gibson  had  to  carve  his  own  fortune,  hew  his  own 
road  ;  and  in  his  toils  and  struggles  no  more  faithful  and  in  fal¬ 
tering  helper  was  found  than  his  own  wife.  If  they  had  plenty, 
she  rejoiced  and  was  glad;  if  denials  at  times  were  necessary, 
she  was  cheerful  and  never  murmured.  In  God  she  trusted, 
and  knew  that  in  his  own  time  all  would  be  well. 

Prosperity  never  changed  Mrs.  Gibson ;  with  her  the  heart 
was  all.  Her  nature  was  such  that  she  could  not  be  unkind  or 
forget  or  neglect  one  who  had  been  less  favored  by  fortune  than 
herself.  Her  life  was  sunshine;  with  her  every  cloud  had  a 
silver  lining:;  and  she  remembered  that  it  is  alwavs  darkest 
before  day,  that  no  night  was  ever  so  bleak  and  dreary  but 
what  it  was  followed  by  the  morning’s  dawn.  Never  came  a 
poor  Scotchman  to  her  door  who  was  turned  away.  She  was 
thankful  that  her  prosperity  enabled  her  to  assist  those  who  had 
left  dear  old  Scotia  to  find  better  homes  in  America. 

When  the  great  rebellion  began,  men,  money,  and  arms  were 


MRS.  PETER  GIBSON. 


157 


required,  and  in  addition  something  else — nurses  for  our  poor 
sick  and  wounded;  and  while  Mrs.  Gibson  could  not  go  to  the 
front  and  battle  for  the  flag  and  land  she  loved  so  well,  she 
could  be  a  volunteer  l.urse  in  the  hospitals;  she  could  give  the 
draughts  ordered  by  the  surgeons,  hand  drinks  to  the  afflicted  ; 
fan,  comfort,  and  speak  encouraging  words  to  the  poor  “  boys  in 
blue”  who  had  been  torn  with  rebel  bullets.  No  wound  so 
sickening  or  offensive  that  that  great  Christian  woman  hesitated 

to  dress.  The  old  Orphan  Asylum  building,  which  stood  on 

- 

the  present  site  of  the  Springer  Music  Hall,  was  a  great  hos¬ 
pital,  containing  hundreds  of  sick  and  wounded  soldiers,  and 
Mrs.  Peter  Gibson  was  the  guardian  angel  there.  From  early 
morn  till  the  latest  call  of  the  night,  she  worked,  waited,  and 
watched,  silently  going  from  couch  to  couch,  from  room  to  room, 
on  her  mission  of  love  and  merev.  Her  cheerful  face  and  kind 
voice  were  hailed  with  joy.  Many  an  eye  she  closed  in  death; 
many  a  brave  soldier,  feeling  that  his  spirit  was  fleeting,  grasped 
her  hand,  and  with  feeble  voice  said:  “Mrs.  Gibson,  I  am  dying. 
May  God  bless  you!  Pray  for  me  when  I  am  gone.”  And 
she  did.  Many  a  humble  prayer  was  offered  up  to  the  Throne 
on  Hi«:h  by  that  noble  matron,  asking:  God  to  crown  the  Union 
arms  with  victory,  and  to  be  merciful  to  those  who  fell  in  battle. 

The  following  extract  from  a  letter,  written  by  an  Indiana 
soldier  from  the  hospital  in  this  city,  we  have  been  permitted 
to  copy : 

“  Cincinnati,  April  28,  1862. 

“My  Dear  Mother, — I  was  wounded  in  three  places  in 
the  great  battle  which  took  place  down  in  Western  Tennessee 
on  the  7th  of  this  month,  and  brought  here  to  this  hospital, 
where  my  leg  has  been  cut  off,  from  the  effects  of  which  I  must 
die — at  least  so  thinks  Dr.  Smith,  the  surgeon.  I  had  hoped 
to  come  out  at  the  end  of  the  war  all  right,  so  that  I  could 
come  home  and  support  you  in  your  old  days;  but  God  decrees 
otherwise,  and  I  humbly  submit. 

“  They  are  very  kind  to  me,  particularly  a  noble  wealthy  old 


158 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


Scotch  lady,  Mrs.  Peter  Gibson,  who  watches  by  us  night  and 
day.  She  appears  to  never  sleep.  She  is  so  good ;  and  although 
my  wounded  leg  is  so  offensive  to  every  body,  she  assists  the 
doctor  in  dressing  it.  We  all  love  her.  She  is  the  guardian 

angel  of  the  hospital.  She  talks  so  feelingly  to  us  about  our 

past  lives,  and  how  necessary  it  is  for  us  to  be  prepared  to  die; 
and,  mother,  I  feel  that  from  the  good  advice  Mrs.  Gibson  has 
given  to  me  that  I  am  prepared,  if  I  must  go,  and  do  hope  we 
mav  all  meet  on  the  other  side  of  the  dark  river  of  death, 
where  we  will  not  have  to  part  again. 

“  Give  my  love  to  all  my  old  scholars,  and  tell  them  to 

remember  their  old  teacher  as  he  now  lies  dying  from  wounds 

received  in  trying  to  save  the  Union. 

“  In  life  and  death,  your  loving  son, 

“  George  J.  Bolling.” 

Mr.  Bolling  finally  recovered,  and  is  now  living  with  his 
mother  and  family  in  Southern  Kansas,  and  never  fails  to  re¬ 
member  the  kind  acts  of  Mrs.  Gibson,  as  do  thousands  of  other 
Union  soldiers,  who  have  just  cause  to  recall  her  mission  of 
mercy.  Let  it  be  inscribed  upon  her  tomb,  in  never-fading 
letters,  “She  loved  her  country,  and  made  home  happy.” 

De  B. 


JOSEPH.  H.  HEINSHEIMER 

AY  AS  born  on  December  20,  1813,  in  Eppingen,  a  town  of  consid¬ 
erable  importance  in  the  Grand  Duchy  of  Baden,  Germany.  After 
going  through  the  schools  and  academy,  he  was  placed  in  busi¬ 
ness  in  Carlsruhe,  the  capital  of  Baden,  where  he  learned  the  busi¬ 
ness  of  merchandising.  After  remaining  there  until  his  twenty- 
second  year — in  the  mean  time  having  married  when  he  was 
twenty-one- — he  came  with  his  wife  and  one  child  to  the  United 
States,  landing  in  Baltimore  in  October,  1836.  Here  he  remained 
for  four  years,  when  he  removed  with  his  family  to  the  then 
young  and  growing  city  of  Cincinnati,  arriving  here  in  the  Fall 


JOSEPH  HERRON. 


159 


of  1840.  Hero  he  commenced  business,  and,  with  the  exception 
of  a  few  years  spent  in  the  immediate  neighborhood,  resided 
here  continually  up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  a  suc¬ 
cessful  and  honorable  merchant.  He  was  active  in  educational 
and  charitable  works,  being  for  many  years  connected  with  and 
the  president  of  the  Talmid  Yelodim  Institute,  a  school  attached 
to  the  Plum  Street  Temple.  He  took  an  active  part  in  lodge 
affairs,  being  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd¬ 
fellows,  Freemasons,  and  kindred  and  charitable  associations. 

After  a  useful  and  active  life,  he  died  in  Louisville,  Ken¬ 
tucky,  on  May  20,  1880,  in  the  sixty -seventh  year  of  his  age, 
while  on  a  visit  there  to  his  youngest  daughter.  He  left  a 
widow  and  seven  children,  four  sons  and  three  daughters,  to 
mourn  their  great  loss,  besides  numerous  and  intimate  friends 
and  acquaintances,  who  likewise  mourned  the  loss  of  an  old 
friend  and  fellow-citizen.  His  remains  were  brought  here  and 
lie  buried  in  the  Jewish  Cemetery,  on  Walnut  Hills.  “  Requi - 
escat  in  pace.” 


JOSEPH  HERRON 

Was  born  in  Lancaster  County,  Pennsylvania,  October  1,  1808. 
He  came  to  Ohio  with  his  father,  who  settled  on  a  farm  in 
Clermont  County,  in  1816.  Here  he  had  such  educational  ad- 
vantages  as  the  public  schools  of  that  time  could  afford;  but  he 
went  beyond  the  course  of  study — and  even  his  teachers — buying 
and  borrowing  books,  and  educating  himself.  His*  desire  for 
knowledge  was  very  great,  and  he  made  the  most  of  every  op¬ 
portunity  to  increase  his  store.  His  elder  brother  was  proprie¬ 
tor  of  the  county  paper,  and  also  published  a  magazine,  the 
Columbian  Historian ,  for  which  the  boy  Joseph  set  up  the  type, 
and  while  doing  so  committed  the  articles  to  memory. 

He  came  to  Cincinnati  in  1829,  and  secured  a  position  in 


160 


MEMO  n  TA  L  A  SSOCTA  TIOX. 


the  public  schools.  In  1836  he  became  a  teacher  in  the  pre¬ 
paratory  department  of  the  old  Cincinnati  College,  on  the  cor¬ 
ner  of  Walnut  and  Fourth  Streets.  The  college  building  was 
destroyed  by  fire  in  1845,  and  the  school  was  disbanded.  Mr. 
Herron  opened  a  private  school  for  boys  in  the  lecture-room  of 
Wesley  Chapel,  on  Fifth  Street.  He  afterward  bought  and  re¬ 
moved  to  the  property  on  Seventh  Street,  between  Walnut  and 

Vine  Streets,  known  as  Herron’s  Seminary.  This  was  for  a 
'  * 

number  of  years  the  only  private  school  for  boys  in  the  city, 
and  averaged  an  attendance  of  two  hundred  pupils  throughout 
the  eighteen  years  of  its  history.  The  whole  term  during  which 
Mr.  Herron  was  an  educator  of  youth  in  this  city  covered  thirty- 
three  years,  a  longer  time,  probably,  than  any  other  person  has 
been  thus  employed.  During  all  this  period  he  enjoyed  the  un¬ 
shaken  confidence  of  his  patrons,  and  hundreds  who  are  now 
our  best  citizens  were  his  pupils.  His  marked  characteristics 
as  a  teacher  were  thoroughness  of  instruction,  great  kindness 
and  politeness  toward  his  pupils,  and  anxious  solicitude  for  their 
moral  and  religious  training. 

O  O 

Much  as  he  delighted  in  the  labors  of  the  week — and  he 
taught  from  the  love  of  it — he  found  still  greater  pleasure  in 
the  Sabbath-school  and  in  Bible-classes  of  young  men.  He  was 
pre-eminent  among  the  founders  of  the  old  Bethel,  which  was 
organized  in  the  upper  story  of  a  warehouse  on  Front  Street, 
east  of  Broadway.  The  history  of  this  enterprise  has  never 
been  fully  written ;  but  this  Sabbath-school  was,  in  its  time,  the 
largest  one  in  the  city,  and  Mr.  Herron  lived  to  see  many  min¬ 
isters  go  forth  from  the  instructions  there  received,  to  help 
evangelize  the  world.  He  was  its  first  superintendent,  and  re¬ 
mained  such  for  ten  years. 

Mr.  Herron  was  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Young  Men’s 
Bible  Society  for  twenty  years,  for  many  years  secretary  of  the 
Relief  Union,  and  overseer  of  the  poor  in  his  ward.  Besides 
being  a  busy  and  constant  teacher,  he  spent  much  time  in  visit- 


PHILIP  IIINKLE. 


161 


ing  the  poor  in  their  wretched  homes  and  ministering  to  their 
wants.  No  night  was  dark  enough,  no  storm  sufficiently  severe 
to  keep  him  from  answering  the  call  of  the  needy  and  relieving 
their  distresses.  He  was  one  of  the  charter  trustees  of  the  Wes- 
levan  Female  College,  and  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees 
and  Visitors  of  the  Common  Schools. 

Mr.  Herron  was  a  prominent  member  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  'Church ;  but  while  devotedly  attached  to  his  chosen 
branch  of  the  Christian  Church,  he  was  broad  in  his  charities, 
without  bigotry  in  his  beliefs,  and  deeply  interested  in  every 
cause  which  concerned  the  prosperity  of  the  city  and  the  welfare 
of  the  people.  This  faithful  teacher  and  Christian  gentleman 
died  March  25,  1863,  in  the  triumphs  of  a  faith  which  he  so 
beautifully  exemplified  in  his  life. 


PHILIP  HINKLE, 

Sox  of  Anthony  and  Elizabeth  Hinkle,  was  born  in  Hinkle- 
town,  Bucks  County,  Pennsylvania,  October  24,  1811.  He  died 
in  Cincinnati.  October  26,  1880.  When  he  was  five  years  old 
his  father  died,  at  the  early  age  of  thirty-eight  years,  leaving 
his  widowed  mother  a  large  family  of  children  to  care  for. 
Soon  after  the  death  of  his  father,  young  Philip  went  to  live 
with  his  grandmother  and  aunt  Hinkle,  and  those  good  women 
had  much  to  do  with  forming  his  early  character  and  habits. 
He  attended  school  in  Ids  native  place,  working  on  a  farm 
between  times,  until  he  was  sixteen  and  a  half  years  old,  when 
he  went  to  Doylestown,  Pennsylvania,  to  learn  the  carpenter’s 
trade.  He  was  bound  as  an  apprentice  to  Mr.  Samuel  Kachline 
for  the  term  of  three  years.  Mrs.  Kachline  was  a  member  of 
the  Society  of  Friends,  and  in  compliance  with  her  godly  admo¬ 
nitions  he  occasionally  attended  church.  During  his  apprentice- 


162 


MEMORIAL  ASSOC  I  A  TION. 


ship  he  spent  many  of  his  Sabbath  days  with  his  mother’s 
family  at  his  old  home. 

When  his  apprenticeship  expired,  in  1831,  he  went  to  the 
city  of  Philadelphia  to  work  at  his  trade.  He  was  then  nineteen 
years  old,  and  had  as  stock  in  trade  some  few  tools,  and  twenty- 
five  cents  in  money.  While  here  he  was  robbed  of  his  tools, 
but  after  seven  months  of  hard  work  had  saved  enough  money 
to  pay  his  passage  on  the  good  ship  John  Sargent  to  the  then 
.  Eldorado  of  the  South — New  Orleans. 

He  remained  in  New  Orleans  until  May  8,  1832,  when  he 
determined  to  try  his  fortune  in  the  young  Queen  City  of  the 
West.  He  came  up  the  river  on  a  steamer,  and  landed  in  the 
city  of  Cincinnati  on  the  20th  of  May,  an  entire  stranger.  As 
his  capital  he  had  a  trunk  of  clothes,  a  chest  of  tools,  and  $150 
in  cash,  and  in  a  few  days  got  employment. 

In  a  short  time  he  entered  into  his  first  partnership  with 
Howe  &  Filson,  with  head-quarters  in  a  building  that  stood  oil 
Third  Street,  between  Main  and  Sycamore,  where  the  St.  Charles 
hotel  now  stands.  The  partnership  was  dissolved  in  1833,  and 
for  about  a  year  he  carried  on  the  business  by  himself. 

In  April,  1834,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Frances 
Quinn,  daughter  of  Aaron  and  Elizabeth  Quinn,  of  Mavsville, 
Kentucky.  His  young  wife  was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  with  her  he  attended  the  Third  Presbyterian  Church, 
which  was  then  located  on  Columbia  Street,  near  Vine,  where 
Poland  &  Henry  are  now  in  business.  Shortly  after  his  mar¬ 
riage,  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr.  Evan  Gaither,  of 
Washington  City.  At  the  close  of  the  year  they  rented  a  shop 
on  Hammond  Street,  and  in  1835  they  built  a  shop  for  them¬ 
selves  on  Vine  Street,  where  William  Glenn  &  Sons  are  now 
located.  Shortly  -after  this  he  built  a  house  for  himself  on 
the  west  side  of  Vine  Street.  From  1837  to  1845  he  carried 
on  business  as  carpenter  and  builder  for  himself,  and  then  en¬ 
tered  into  partnership  with  II.  P.  Smith,  and  built  a  factory  on 


PHILIP  HINKLE . 


163 


the  corner  of  Smith  and  Webb  Streets.  In  1846  he  formed  a 
partnership  with  Joseph  Guild,  and  erected  his  extensive  factory 
on  Front  Street,  adjoining  the  gas-works  on  the  east.  The 
company  was  afterward  enlarged  by  the  addition  of  Messrs. 
Longhead,  Cross,  and  Shepherd. 

During  the  year  1846  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Fourth 
Street,  three  doors  east  of  Smith,  and  here  in  June,  1849,  the 
wife  of  his  youth  fell  a  victim  to  the  Asiatic  cholera,  leaving 
to  him  and  their  children  that  best  of  all  legacies — the  example 
of  a  beautiful  Christian  life  and  triumphant  death.  On  the  19th 
of  December,  1850,  he  was  united  in  marriage  to  his  second 
wife,  Miss  Martha  Gaither,  of  Washington  City,  with  whom  he 
lived  in  the  most  happy  relations  for  nearly  thirty  years,  and 
who  survives  to  mourn  the  loss  of  one  of  the  best  of  husbands. 

Business  prospered  under  his  active  supervision,  without  any 
check  worth  mentioning,  until  Sunday  morning,  October  14, 
1855,  when  the  fire-bells  rang  out  the  alarm  that  Hinkle’s 
factory  on  Front  Street  was  on  fire,  and  in  a  few  brief  hours 
the  building,  with  its  contents,  was  reduced  to  ashes.  More  than 
one  hundred  thousand  dollars’  worth  of  property  was  thus  swept 
out  of  existence,  leaving  him  without  business,  and  Avith  but 
little  means  to  begin  anew.  As  there  Avas  no  insurance  upon 
the  property  it  Avas  to  him  an  event  of  great  embarrassment  and 
trial;  but  his  faith  in  God,  his  Avill-poAver,  and  tireless  energy 
did  not  forsake  him.  Even  on  the  afternoon  of  the  day  of  the 
great  fire  he  Avas  in  his  place  in  the  church  where  he  belonged, 
uniting  Avith  the  congregation  in  Avorshiping  the  God  in  Avhom 
he  trusted.  He  immediately  rented  a  factory  on  Freeman 
Street,  and  carried  on  business  there.  In  the  mean  time  a  feAv 
prominent  citizens  united  in  making  the  firm  a  loan  of  tAventy- 
five  thousand  dollars  ;  and  such  Avas  the  confidence  of  many  of 
those  old-time  friends  in  the  integrity  and  success  of  the  senior 
member  of  the  firm  that  they  even  declined  to  take  a  mort^a^e 
to  secure  the  loan. 


1G4 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


The  factory  was  rebuilt,  and  the  business  was  carried  on 
successfully  by  the  old  firm  until  the  year  1864,  when  Mr. 
Hinkle  became  the  sole  owner,  and  entered  upon  the  manufacture 
of  his  portable  houses,  which  became  so  famous  in  the  South  and 
in  Kansas. 

In  1870  he  sold  out  and  retired  from  business,  having  ac¬ 
cumulated  a  fortune  that  secured  to  him  comfort  and  financial 
independence  during  the  closing  of  his  remarkably  active  and 
successful  life. 

In  1874  he  built  the  beautiful  residence  on  Mount  Auburn 
where  the  family  have  since  resided,  and  where  his  life-work 
ended. 

AY  e  now  turn  to  the  religious  feature  of  his  life.  He  united 

with  the  Third  Presbyterian  Church  in  1836,  when  Rev.  Thorn- 

• 

ton  A.  Mills  was  the  pastor.  The  Sunday  after  he  united  with 
the  Church  he  entered  the  Sunday-school  as  a  teacher,  and  from 
that  day  to  the  day  of  his  death  he  was  prominent  as  a  Sunday- 
school  worker.  Such  was  his  early  zeal  in  the  cause  of  religion 
that  in  1838  he  and  an  associate,  Joseph  AVilson,  fitted  up  an 
old  saw-mill  on  Freeman  Street,  near  Front,  as  a  mission  school, 
and  in  a  short  time  a  revival  of  religion  blessed  their  efforts. 
The  owner  of  the  property,  Air.  Brown,  was  converted,  and  a 
Baptist  Church  was  established. 

In  1839  the  Rev.  O.  S.  Powell,  a  Presbyterian  minister, 
made  a  plea  for  the  Bethel  cause  in  the  Third  Church,  and  as 
a  result  Air.  Hinkle  and  other  members  united  with  Air.  Powell 
in  establishing  the  first  Bethel  Sunday-school  in  a  building  on 
the  south-east  corner  of  Front  and  Broadway.  As  early  as 
1840,  Air.  Hinkle  was  superintendent  of  this  school,  and,  with 
the  exception  of  a  few  years,  he  was  connected  with  the  school, 
both  as  teacher  and  assistant  superintendent,  up  to  the  hour  of 
his  decease. 

In  the  old  Third  Church  he  filled  faithfully  and  well  every 
office  in  the  gift  of  the  membership.  He  was  a  trustee,  a 


PHILIP  HINKLE. 


165 


deacon,  and  an  elder.  Here  his  faith  and  Christian  experience 
crystallized  into  that  strong  type  that  made  itself  felt  in  all  the 
walks  of  life.  In  1864  his  Church  relations  changed,  and  he 
and  his  family  united  with  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church, 
and  in  the  fellowship  of  this  Church  he  passed  to  the  Church 
of  the  first-born  in  heaven. 

There  were  three  institutions  in  which  he  felt  especially  in¬ 
terested — the  Bethel,  the  Western  Female  Seminary  at  Oxford, 
and  Lane  Seminary.  Upon  them  he  bestowed  much  time  and 
labor,  and  to  them  he  gave  liberally  of  his  means.  He  was  one 
of  the  original  subscribers  to  the  Western  Female  Seminary, 
and  as  a  trustee  and  as  chairman  of  the  Executive  Committee 
rendered  to  that  institution  invaluable  service,  especially  during 
the  erection  of  the  buildings  after  the  destructive  fire  of  a  few 
vears  ago.  But  from  no  one  of  the  societies  with  which  he  was 
associated  will  he  be  so  much  and  so  constantly  missed  as  from 
the  Bethel.  To  that  he  devoted  most  time,  and  in  that  he  took 
the  greatest  interest.  There  he  found  the  poor,  and  with  that 
class  he  delighted  to  labor,  looking  after  both  their  temporal 
and  spiritual  wants;  and  many  a  poor  woman  shed  tears  of  sin- 
cere  sorrow  when  advised  of  the  death  of  Mr.  Hinkle. 

Of  Mr.  Hinkle’s  first  marriage  five  children  were  born,  of 
whom  two  survive  him — Elizabeth,  wife  of  Henry  W.  Sage,  and 
Thornton  M.  Hinkle. 

His  illness  was  of  but  a  few  hours3  duration,  and  he  died  as 
he  had  lived,  full  of  faith  and  hope.  His  death  was  beautiful 
and  joyful. 

We  can  not  more  fitly  close  this  brief  sketch  than  with  the 
closing  paragraphs  of  the  memorial  address  delivered  at  the 
Bethel  by  Rev.  Thomas  Lee : 

I  will  not  attempt  to  analyze  the  character  of  the  deceased. 
It  is  enough  to  say  that  he  was  a  man,  and  had  his  failings  like 
other  men ;  but  his  honesty  of  purpose,  his  genuine  religious 
character,  his  usefulness  as  a  citizen  and  a  Christian  worker,  will 


166 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


never  be  questioned  by  those  who  knew  him.  Those  who  knew 
him  best  loved  him  most.  Indeed,  you  had  to  know  him  well 
before  you  could  worthily  appreciate  him.  But  he  is  gone ; 
gone  to  his  Father  and  God,  to  reap  the  rewards  of  a  laborious, 
useful  life.  May  his  example  be  profitable  to  the  boys  and  young 
men  of  this  community!  May  his  struggles  and  triumphs  as  an 
apprentice  boy,  as  a  mechanic,  as  a  successful  business  man,  and 
as  a  useful  Christian  worker,  inspire  the  heart  and  nerve  the 
arm  of  thousands  of  others  who  shall  go,  and  do,  and  dare,  as 
did  Philip  Hinkle ! 

“ 1 1  heard  a  voice  from  heaven  saying  unto  me,  Write, 
Blessed  are  the  dead  who  die  in  the  Lord  from  henceforth. 
Yea,  saith  the  Spirit,  that  they  may  rest  from  their  labors,  and 
their  works  do  follow  them/  ” 


CASPER  HOPPLE. 

Solid  and  substantial  were  the  pioneers  who  left  their  homes, 
civilizations,  and  comforts  on  the  Atlantic  coast,  and  came 
West  to  found  and  build  up  Cincinnati.  No  other  city  in  the 
world  can  present  more  thrifty,  honest,  or  enterprising  people 
than  were  the  Symmes,  Wades,  Bates,  Burnets,  Findlays,  Tor¬ 
rences,  Irwins,  Lytles,  Baums,  Ludlows,  Ganos,  Careys,  Spen¬ 
cers,  Biddles,  Kilgours,  Taylors,  Hopples,  and  others  of  the 
same  sturdy  class.  Those  who  take  pride  in  the  greatness  of 
our  city  love  to  hear  the  stories  concerning  their  forefathers, 
and  how  they  endured  privations  and  toiled  for  the  comforts  we 
now  enjoy.  Of  these  sires,  none  in  their  own  quiet,  unassuming 
way  performed  their  parts  better  than  did  Casper  Hopple  and 
his  admirable  wife.  Casper  Hopple  belonged  to  one  of  the  solid 
old  Pennsylvania  families  who  came  to  America  long  previous 
to  the  Revolution,  in  which  war  his  father  was  a  surgeon  under 
Washington.  He  was  born  in  Philadelphia  on  September  17, 
1777,  and  when  only  of  age  married  Miss  Anna  Maria  Earen- 


CASPER  HOPPLE . 


167 


figlit,  an  estimable,  intelligent,  thrifty  lady.  Mr.  Casper  Hop¬ 
ple  was  a  lineal  descendant  from  the  celebrated  Hutch  Admiral 
Van  Tromp,  the  reading  of  whose  exploits  so  fascinates  every 
scholar,  and  many  of  whose  sterling  traits  are  easily  discernible 
in  the  character  and  stern  sense  of  right  and  justice  of  Mr. 
Hopple. 

In  1803,  feeling  that  the  West  was  the  place  for  young 
coliples,  Mr.  Hopple  and  wife  came  to  Cincinnati,  making  the 
trip  in  Conestoga  wagons  to  Pittsburg,  and  the  remainder  of 
the  way  down  the  Ohio  in  u  broadhorns.”  Cincinnati  at  that 
time  had  only  a  few  hundred  inhabitants,  who  were  mostly  living 
in  I02;  cabins  down  near  the  river. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  rehearse  all  the  privations  they  had  to 
endure,  or  how  hard  they  had  to  labor  to  keep  their  heads  above 
the  tide.  They  knew  that  success  could  only  come  from  hard 
work,  and  with  determined  wills  they  began  their  tasks.  There 
was  to  be  no  faint-heartedness,  or  wearying  by  the  wayside — 
there  .was  a  fortune  waiting  them  somewhere,  which  would  never 
come  to  them;  and,  like  the  plain,  practical  people  they  were, 
though  the  road  was  long,  rough,  and  uninviting,  they  started 
on  the  journey  to  succeed,  and  they  did  not  fail.  For  many 
years  Mr.  Hopple  was  a  merchant  on  Pearl,  between  Main 
and  Sycamore,  each  year  saving  something,  which  was  at  once 
invested  in  real  estate;  for  ground  in  those  days  could  be  bought 
very  cheap.  It  is  only  just  to  the  good  wife  to  say  that  it  was 
largely  through  her  foresight  that  much  of  the  Hopple  prop¬ 
erty  was  bought,  and  which  has  since  become  so  very  valuable. 
Casper  Hopple  and  his  good  wife  felt  that  this  would  one  day 
be  a  great  city,  and  they  were  ready  to  do  any  thing  to  aid  it 
in  its  destiny.  This  was  once  so  forcibly  shown,  that  the  nar¬ 
rating  the  circumstance  may  possibly  be  of  future  service  under 
similar  trials.  The  Miami  Exporting  Company  was  the  princi¬ 
pal  bank  here,  almost  every  citizen  having  business  with  it  in 
some  way.  A  financial  panic  existed  and  rumor  soon  spread 


168 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


that  the  u  Exporting  Company  ”  was  about  breaking,  and  a 
large,  anxious  crowd  soon  gathered  around  the  doors  of  the  ven¬ 
erable  old  concern,  every  man  eager  to  get  his  money.  While 
the  excitement  was  the  highest,  along  came  Casper  Hopple  with 
three  or  four  persons  carrying  baskets,  apparently  (?)  full  of 
money,  which  he  deposited  in  the  endangered  bank.  Mr.  Hop¬ 
ple  was  known  as  a  very  close  man,  a  money-maker,  but  never 
a  loser,  and  the  people  who  were  before  so  clamorous  for  their 
money  were  now  just  as  anxious  to  redeposit  it,  feeling  that  the 
bank  was  good  if  Casper  Hopple  would  deposit  there.  After- 
ward,  when  asked  why  he  so  promptly  aided  the  bank,  Mr. 
Hopple  quietly  replied,  u  Money  panics  and  bank  runs  are  not 
good  for  a  city,  and  it  is  the  duty  of  all  to  aid  in  averting  them, 
if  possible. ” 

Another  commendable  act,  that  of  Mrs.  Hopple,  must  not  be 
forgotten,  or  left  untold.  In  early  days,  when  the  first  market 
was  opened,  it  was  not  considered  fashionable  for  ladies  to  go  to 
market  to  make  purchases.  This  did  not  suit  Mrs.  Hopple,  as 
she  considered  it  her  duty  to  do  her  share  in  saving  the  money 
made,  and,  to  make  it  the  proper  thing,  got  Mrs.  General  Lytle 
(the  grandmother  of  the  gallant  hero  of  Stone  River),  Mrs. 
Jud  ge  Burnet,  and  Mrs.  Robert  Merrie  (grandmother  of  George 

o>  7  \o  o 

W.  McAlpin,  Esq.),  and  the  quartette,  with  baskets  on  their 
arms,  went  to  market,  made  their  purchases  without  any  body 
daring  to  dissent,  and  from  that  hour  it  was  “fashionable”  for 
any  good  housewife  to  go  to  market  and  supply  the  table  with 
what  was  needed.  This  economic  course  has  doubtless  been  the 
means  of  bringing  about  thrift  in  many  a  family,  now  surrounded 
with  the  luxuries  of  wealth,  all  saved  through  the  plain  common- 
sense  course  of  Mrs.  Hopple. 

Mr.  Hopple  and  wife  worked,  lived,  and  prospered  here, 
seeing  the  small  village  of  their  early  life  growing  into  a  great 
metropolis  of  hundreds  of  thousands  of  thrifty  people  from 
every  quarter  of  the  globe. 


COLONEL  FREDERICK  C.  JONES. 


169 


Mrs.  Hopple  died  at  the  old  homestead  October  26,  1855, 
while  Mr.  Hopple  was  called  home  September  25,  1859,  leaving 
a  multitude  of  friends  to  mourn  their  departure,  besides  three 
children — the  late  Matthew  Hopple,  Joseph  Hopple,  Hr.  James 
Hopple,  and  It.  B.  Hopple,  who  are  esteemed  as  among  our  best 
and  most  enterprising  men  of  wealth.  De  B. 


COLONEL  FREDERICK  C.  JONES. 

[The  following  sketch  is  principally  taken  from  the  “  Woodward  Annual,” 
written  by  Professor  Geo.  W.  Harper,  one  of  his  school-fellows.] 

Colonel  Frederick  C.  Jones  was  born  on  the  16th  of  De¬ 
cember,  1834,  at  “  Parrotts  Grove,”  Greene  County,  Pennsyl¬ 
vania,  near  the  town  of  Greensboro,  on  the  Monongahela  River. 
“Parrot’s  Grove”  is  still  a  beautiful  farm  of  five  hundred  and 
twenty  acres,  and  had  been  the  ancestral  home  of  the  family  for 
several  generations.  Colonel  Jones  was  killed  whilst  leading 
his  regiment  in  a  charge  against  the  rebels  in  the  battle  of 
Stone  River,  on  the  thirty-first  day  of  December,  1862.  It  will 
be  seen  from  the  above  that  he  was  but  twenty-eight  years  old 
when  death  put  an  end  to  his  earthly  career.  As  the  ancestors 
of  Colonel  Jones  on  both  sides  had  distinguished  themselves  in 
their  native  countries,  and  also  after  emigrating  to  this  country, 
it  may  not  be  inappropriate  to  briefly  allude  to  them  in  this 
place.  It  appears  from  the  history  of  the  Welsh  Baptists,  that 
Morgan  and  Jones  had  been  the  family  names  of  this  family  for 
many  generations;  following  the  ancient  Welsh  custom,  where 
the  father’s  name  was  Morgan  Jones,  the  oldest  son’s  name  would 
be  John  Morgan,  and  his  eldest  son’s  again  Morgan  Jones. 
The  estate  of  the  family  was  in  the  County  Carmarthen,  Wales, 
and  was  and  is  yet  known  by  the  name  of  Allt  Fawr,  a  large 

tract  of  land  with  a  considerable  number  of  buildings. 

12 


170 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIA  TION. 


John  Morgan  was  a  Baptist  preacher,  and  proprietor  of  the 
estate,  having  inherited  it  from  his  father,  when  Morgan  Jones, 
his  son,  began  to  preach,  in  1646.  After  the  return  of  Charles 
the  Second  in  1660,  and  during  the  bloody  persecution  which 
immediately  followed  that  event,  they  suffered  fearfully  because 
of  their  faith.  Allt  Fawr  became  a  place  of  refuge  to  many 
persecuted  dissenters. 

His  son,  also  named  Morgan  Jones,  was  born  in  1662,  and 
was  a  learned  and  eloquent  Baptist  preacher,  and  pastor  of  the 
Church  at  Swansea,  and  suffered  severely  by  heavy  fines  and 
imprisonment.  He  married  the  daughter  of  Lord  Griffith  Grif¬ 
fiths,  a  nobleman  of  the  County  Carmarthen,  and  a  zealous 
Churchman.  She  was  a  very  pious  lady;  but  her  parents  were 
much  displeased  because  she  married  a  Baptist,  and  disinher¬ 
ited  her.  On  her  death-bed,  they  visited  her,  when  she  implored 
them  to  give  to  her  husband  and  motherless  children  that  which 
was  their  right  by  law.  Her  mother  advised  her  not  to  think  of 
this  world,  but  of  another,  to  which  she  was  fast  hastening.  The 
daughter  replied :  “  Dear  mother,  I  have  not  left  those  important 
thin  «;s  to  the  hour  of  death.  I  know  in  whom  I  have  believed 
and  then,  praying  them  to  fulfill  her  request  as  they  would  have 
to  answer  to  God  in  the  great  day  of  judgment,  she  died. 

She  had  a  son,  Griffith  Jones,  named  after  her  father,  born 
in  1695,  who  began  to  preach  in  1714,  when  nineteen  years  of 
age;  and  in  1726  he  became  pastor  of  the  Baptist  Church  in 
Penyfay;  afterwards  removed  to  Hengoed,  and,  in  1749,  emi¬ 
grated  to  America,  and  settled  in  the  Welsh  tract  above  Phila¬ 
delphia,  where  he  died  in  1754.  A  beautiful  elegy  was  written 
on  his  death  in  the  Welsh  language  by  Benjamin  Francis. 

His  son,  Robert  Jones,  the  great-grandfather  of  Colonel 
Frederick  C.  Jones,  emigrated  to  Fayette  County,  Pennsylvania, 
from  the  Welsh  tract,  in  1769  or  1770,  and  purchased  large 
tracts  of  land  in  what  is  now  Greene  and  Fayette  Counties, 
Pennsylvania,  then  Augusta  County,  Virginia.  He  was  among 


COLONEL  FREDERICK  C.  JONES. 


171 


the  first  to  establish  an  iron  furnace  west  of  the  Alleghany 
Mountains,  if  not  the  first,  at  what  was  afterwards  known  as 
“Evans’s  Furnace,”  near  Uniontown,  Pennsylvania,  and  at  Fair- 
chance  iron-works,  now  an  immense  establishment,  nine  miles 
south  of  that  place,  at  the  foot  of  Laurel  Hill,  and  continued  in 
that  business  until  his  death  in  1809.  His  son,  John  Jones,  the 
grandfather  of  Colonel  F.  C.  Jones,  was  a  farmer,  who  lived  at 
“  Parrot’s  Grove,”  and  died  in  1820. 

His  father,  Robert  Jones,  was  a  merchant  in  the  neighboring 
town  of  Greensboro  from  1817  to  1846,  and  owned  and  resided 
upon  “  Parrot’s  Grove,”  when  the  subject  of  our  sketch  was 
born.  In  the  great  fire  at  Pittsburg,  in  1845,  he  lost,  with  hun¬ 
dreds  of  others,  very  heavily.  In  1846  he  removed  to  Cincin¬ 
nati;  from  there  to  Illinois  in  1852;  returned  to  Cincinnati  in 
1862,  where  he  resided  until  his  death,  in  March,  1874,  on 
Walnut  Hills,  aged  seventy-eight  years. 

He  was  a  thorough  business  man,  having  been  a  dry-goods 
merchant  from  his  boyhood,  and  an  extensive  glass  manufacturer 
at  the  “Old  Works.”  Few  men  were  more  thoroughly  con- 

O  %J 

versant  with  the  history  and  affairs  of  the  country,  and  as  an 
antislavery  Whig  he  took  an  active  interest  in  politics,  as 
well  as  in  the  Baptist  Church,  adhering  strictly  to  the  faith  of 
his  fathers.  Before  he  met  Avith  such  severe  losses  he  pur¬ 
chased  a  lot  in  Greensboro,  and  built  a  house  of  worship  for  the 
Church  of  Avhich  he  was  a  member  at  its  organization,  and  gaATe 
it  to  the  denomination  which  still  worships  in  it. 

He  married  Anna  Eberhardt  in  1818,  the  mother  of  Colonel 
Jones.  She  Avas  a  lady  of  brilliant  intellect,  and  a  deATout  Chris¬ 
tian.  She  died  in  Peoria  on  the  16th  of  July,  1862,  aged  sixty- 
two.  While  residing  in  Cincinnati,  both  Avere  members  of  the 
First  Baptist  Church.  Perhaps  no  tAvo  members  of  that  Church 
Avere  more  actWe  in  its  interests  than  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jones. 

The  maternal  grandfather  of  Colonel  Jones  Avas  a  descendant 
of  the  noble  house  of  Baden,  Germany.  In  religion  he  Avas  a 


172 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


follower  of  Luther.  When  he  heard  of  the  war  for  independ¬ 
ence  in  America,  although  but  sixteen  years  of  age,  his  young 
heart  was  fired  with  the  spirit  of  liberty,  and  he  left  home  and 
friends,  came  to  America,  and  joined  the  patriot  army;  was  with 
Washington  at  Trenton,  Monmouth,  Princeton,  Brandywine,  Ger¬ 
mantown,  and  Valley  Forge.  After  the  war  was  over  he  settled 
in  Fredericktown,  Md.,  his  mother  having  joined  him  there. 
There  he  married  Sophia  Speelman.  About  the  year  1794  he 
and  five  other  Germans  determined  to  emigrate  to  Limestone, 
now  Maysville,  Kentucky,  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  glass 
factory.  On  their  way  over  the  mountains  they  met  Albert 
Gallatin,  the  great  financier,  afterwards  Secretary  of  the  Treas¬ 
ury  under  President  Jefferson,  who  then  owned  a  large  tract  of 
land  on  the  Monongahela,  ninety  miles  above  Pittsburg.  Mr. 
Gallatin,  learning  their  object  in  going  West,  offered  them 
all  the  land  they  wanted,  and  proposed  to  become  a  partner 
with  them,  if  they  would  establish  a  factory  on  his  land.  This 
offer  was  accepted,  and  they  erected  the  New  Geneva  Glass¬ 
works,  at  the  town  of  that  name,  on  the  Monongahela.  This 
was  the  first  glass  manufactory  west  of  the  mountains,  and  for 
many  years  furnished  all  the  glass  for  the  South  and  V  est. 
The  window's  of  several  of  the  old  houses  yet  in  this  city  and 
county  are  filled  with  Xcav  Geneva  glass.  When  Lafayette 
visited  this  country  the  last  time,  he  went  a  long  distance  out 
of  his  course  of  travel,  in  company  with  Albert  Gallatin,  to 
visit  Mr.  Eberhardt,  whom  he  had  known  nearly  fifty  years  be¬ 
fore  in  the  Continental  army. 

Robert  Jones,  the  great-grandfather,  was  also  engaged  on  the 
patriot  side;  he  and  many  others  in  the  Western  settlements 
having  been  ordered  by  Patrick  Henry,  then  governor  of  Vir- 
ginia,  and  General  Washington,  to  keep  the  savages  and  British 
emissaries  from  destroying  the  settlements  in  Western  Virginia 
and  Pennsylvania,  who  were  suffering  terribly  from  their  sav¬ 
age  cruelties. 


CAPTAIN  FREDERICK  C.  JONES. 


173 


In  the  war  of  1861-5  fifty-six  of  the  sons  of  these  families 
were  in  the  Union  army ;  nine  were  either  wounded  or  killed. 
The  Rev.  Albert  Gallatin  Eberhardt,  who  recently  died  at  Cedar 
Falls,  Iowa,  and  five  of  his  sons  were  soldiers  in  regiments 
of  that  State. 

Such  were  the  ancestry  and  parents  of  Colonel  Frederick  C. 
Jones.  As  an  orator,  soldier,  and  Christian,  he  seems  to  have 
inherited,  in  a  remarkable  degree,  the  talents,  principles,  and 
patriotism  which  had  distinguished  his  ancestors  for  so  many 
generations. 

The  first  difficulty  which  presents  itself  to  the  mind  of  the 
biographer  is  the  exceeding  brevity  of  his  public  life,  it  having 
ended  at  an  age  when  most  men  begin  life’si  active  duties. 

Our  feelings,  while  reviewing  his  short  but  beautiful  life,  are 
somewhat  similar  to  those  of  the  artist  who  found,  amid  the 
ruins  of  ancient  Rome,  a  fragment  of  a  statue  by  one  of  the  old 
masters.  We  can  but  admire  its  beautiful  symmetry,  but  are 
disappointed  at  its  incompleteness.  The  fragment  before  us, 
however,  reveals  lines  of  beauty  which  are  worth  more  than  a 
casual  study.  Though  his  record  be  brief,  few  who  have  per¬ 
ished  thus  early  in  life  have  written  their  names  more  legibly 
across  history’s  page. 

The  first  years  of  his  life  were  spent  in  his  native  town,  on 
the  banks  of  the  Monongahela,  in  one  of  the  most  romantic  spots 
of  Western  Pennsylvania.  Mountain  soil  seems  fertile  in  heroes, 
and  here  was  nurtured  that  hatred  of  tyranny  and  that  lofty 
patriotism  which  made  him  a  hero  in  this  present  strife. 

In  1846  his  father  removed  to  Cincinnati,  and  soon  after 
Fred,  entered  the  public  schools.  In  1848  he  was  admitted  to 
the  Central  High  School,  and  in  1851  was  transferred  to  the 
Woodward  High  School,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1853. 

Many  a  pale  student  is  a  leader  in  the  school-room,  but  a 
timid  follower  on  the  play-ground;  but  Col.  Jones  was  always 
the  acknowledged  leader,  whether  in  the  reeitation-room,  in  the 


4 


174 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


debating-club,  or  on  the  play-ground.  As  an  off-hand  debater 
lie  was  unequaled,  and  woe  to  the  unfair  antagonist  who  pro¬ 
voked  his  indignation.  His  rebuke  was  withering,  his  denun¬ 
ciation  was  perfectly  scathing.  As  was  said  of  Sherman  by 
Randolph,  his  sarcasm  cut  like  a  kitchen  case-knife,  rough  and 
deep.  But  the  timid  and  persecuted  school-fellow  always  found 
in  him  a  willing  champion. 

Quite  a  number  of  those  who  have  since  taken  no  unimpor¬ 
tant  part  in  our  country’s  struggle,  received  their  first  lessons 
in  the  military  art  on  the  Woodward  play-grounds.  Prominent 
among  the  number  stands  the  name  of  Fred.  C.  Jones.  We 
recollect  well  when  he  was  a  student  in  old  Woodward,  the 
military  fever  went  through  this  school  like  an  epidemic.  The 
school  buildings  seemed  at  once  converted  into  a  barracks,  the 
play-grounds  into  a  military  camp.  At  recesses  and  at  noon¬ 
times  the  neighboring  schools  were  depopulated,  and  the  Wood¬ 
ward  fences  were  lined  with  eager  urchins,  watching  the  maneu¬ 
vers  of  the  Woodward  boys.  All  other  games  were  completely 
neglected,  and  the  entire  grounds  were  covered  with  squads  of 
incipient  soldiers,  marching  and  counter-marching,  filing  right 
and  filing  left,  and  the  whole  scene  was  a  complete  counterpart, 
though  on  a  smaller  scale,  of  what  was  witnessed  among  boys 
of  a  larger  growth  at  the  breaking  out  of  the  war.  The  boys 
soon  mastered  the  squad  drill  and  formed  a  company,  of  which 
Fred.  C.  Jones  was  elected  captain.  Other  companies  were 
soon  after  formed,  and  finally  a  battalion  consisting  of  four 
companies  was  organized,  and  Fred.  C.  Jones  was,  by  the  unan¬ 
imous  wish  of  his  associates,  made  colonel.  With  the  occa¬ 
sional  assistance  of  Col.  Guthrie,  who  resided  in  the  neighbor¬ 
hood,  and  who  gave  the  boys  instruction  from  time  to  time  in 
the  more  complicated  movements,  we  soon  performed  like  vet¬ 
erans.  Not  a  decade  of  years  had  passed  over  us  when  the 
peaceful  play-ground  had  been  exchanged  for  the  battle-ground ; 
the  wooden  sword  had  given  place  to  the  terrible  steel ;  the 


COLONEL  FREDERICK  C.  JONES. 


175 


heroes  of  our  boyhood  battles  have  become  the  real  heroes  of 
Shiloh,  of  Stone  River,  of  Chickamauga.  Of  the  number  who 
formed  Col.  Jones’s  battalion  we  can  call  to  mind  three  colonels, 
eight  captains,  twelve  lieutenants,  several  of  whom  wear  the 
martyred  patriot’s  crown.  The  boyhood  military  career  of  Col. 
Jones  seems  to  have  been  prophetic.  It  found  its  exact  fulfill¬ 
ment  when  he  was  first  commissioned  a  captain  in  his  country’s 
service,  and  ended  with  the  rank  of  colonel. 

His  abilities  as  a  presiding  officer  were  of  a  high  order. 
He  served  for  several  years  as  president  of  the  Woodward  Eu- 
metrian  Literary  Society.  His  decision  of  doubtful  questions 
was  prompt  and  generally  correct,  and  when  he  had  decided 
upon  a  course  he  was  as  quick  to  execute  it.  He  has  been 
sadly  missed  in  onr  social  gatherings.  His  genial  nature,  ready 
wit,  and  quick  repartee  made  him  the  soul  of  every  party. 
Memory  brings  up  a  thousand  pleasing  reminiscences  of  our 
school  friend;  but  we  must  desist,  and  follow  him  into  the 
broader  fields  of  public  life. 

In  1852  his  father  removed  to  Illinois,  near  Peoria.  At  the 
earnest  solicitation  of  his  brother  he  was  permitted  to  remain 
with  him  until  he  graduated  in  1853.  Shortly  after  his  gradua¬ 
tion  Col.  Jones  went  to  his  father’s,  in  Illinois.  Here  his  time 
was  occupied  in  Summer  on  the  farm,  and  in  Winter  in  teaching 
school.  In  1855  his  brother  again  urged  him  to  return  to  this 
city  and  make  his  home  with  him,  which  he  did,  and  soon  after 
accepted  a  clerkship  in  the  court-house,  tendered  him  by  Thomas 
Spooner,  Esq.,  who  had  recently  been  elected  clerk  of  the  county. 

This  was  a  turning  point  in  his  life.  There  he  was  enabled 
to  pursue  the  study  of  law,  which  was  a  favorite  desire  of  his 
bovhood,  and  entered  his  name  as  a  law-student  with  Charles 
Anderson  and  Rufus  King,  Esq.  He  became,  in  the  exercise 
of  his  office  duties,  familiar  with  law  forms,  and  was  daily 
brought  in  contact  with  some  of  the  most  prominent  lawyers  of 
the  city  and  State.  His  evenings  were  mostly  spent  in  select 


176 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


reading.  He  attended  a  course  of  lectures  in  the  Law  School, 
and  after  performing  faithfully  his  duties  as  an  office  clerk  for 
several  years,  he  entered  the  law  office  of  Messrs.  King  and 
Thompson,  where  he  continued  his  studies.  Soon  after  enter¬ 
ing  their  office,  his  employers  sent  him  to  New  Orleans  on  im¬ 
portant  business  connected  with  the  settlement  of  the  McMickin 
estate,  which  duty  he  faithfully  performed.  After  being  ad¬ 
mitted  to  the  bar  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Hiram  Powers, 
a  schoolmate,  and  afterward  a  gallant  soldier — now  also  dead. 
His  rising  talents  as  a  lawyer  induced  his  fellow-citizens  to 
nominate  him  for  prosecuting  attorney  of  the  Police  Court  on 
the  Union  ticket.  His  nomination  was  made  without  his  solic¬ 
itation,  and  of  which  he  knew  nothing  until  after  it  was  made. 
Though  party  spirit  ran  high,  he  was  complimented  by  receiv¬ 
ing  the  highest  number  of  votes  which  were  cast  for  any  candi¬ 
date  in  the  field.  His  majority  was  4,270,  whilst  the  balance  of 
the  ticket  elected  averaged  about  1,500. 

With  such  fair  prospects  in  civil  life  opening  up  before  him, 
just  having  been  elected  to  a  lucrative  and  honorable  office,  sur¬ 
rounded  by  hosts  of  admiring  friends,  what  could  induce  him  to 
turn  from  all  these  allurements  and  enter  upon  the  toils  and 
perils  of  military  strife  ?  As  no  one  knew  better  than  himself, 
we  will  let  him  answer  that  important  question.  Writing  from 
Camp  Harrison  to  his  parents,  April  28,  1861,  he  says:  “I  feel 
a  great  desire  to  go  to  this  fight,  because  I  think  it  every  man’s 
duty — that  is,  every  man  without  the  cares  of  a  family — to  serve 
his  country  wherever  and  whenever  she  may  need  his  services.” 
Duty,  then,  was  the  impelling  motive,  and  to  Col.  Jones  the 
call  of  duty  was  imperative.  But  the  ardor  of  his  patriotism 
does  not  blind  him  to  the  wishes  of  his  parents.  We  quote 
again  from  a  letter  written  from  the  same  camp,  and  dated  May 
11,  1861  : 

“Dear  Father, — Your  kind  and  very  welcome  letter  of 
the  7th  came  to  hand  this  morning,  and  gratified  me  much  by 


COLONEL  FREDERICK  C.  JONES. 


177 


the  intelligence  that  my  proceedings  so  far  have  met  with  the 
approval  of  yourself  and  mother ;  for,  next  to  an  approving  con¬ 
science,  there  is  none  I  value  so  highly  as  those  kind  friends 
who  have  done  so  much  for  me,  and  I  can  willingly  leave  the 
enjoyments  of  this  place  for  the  services  of  my  country,  when 
assured  that  I  go  with  the  permission  of  my  father  and  mother 
and  the  too  kind  friends  at  home.  I  am  not  wholly  ignorant 
of  the  difficulties  and  dangers  of  the  field  nor  the  difference  be¬ 
tween  a  pleasant  home  and  friends  and  the  tented  field  and 
battles’  wild  alarms;  but  I  imbibed  from  your  early  instructions 
that  he  is  wholly  unworthy  of  home  and  friends  who  would 
not  defend  and  protect  themy-  1  My  country  is  my  home,  her  peo¬ 
ple  my  friends,  her  enemies  mine;’  and  I  only  hope  that,  hind  Prov¬ 
idence  will  permit  me  to  strike  one  blow,  ed  least,  at  the  most  out¬ 
rageous  rebellion  that  ever  stained  earth  or  shocked  high  heaven. 
AY  e  will  conquer,  for  we  are  right.  It  will  cost  blood  and  treas¬ 
ure,  but  ‘the  blood  of  martyrs  is  the  seed  of  the  Church.’” 

He  was  appointed  aid  to  General  Bates,  with  the  rank  of  cap¬ 
tain,  and  was  very  serviceable  in  the  organization  of  raw  troops 
at  Camp  Dennison.  After  several  months  of  service,  Gen.  Bates 
resigned,  and  Captain  Jones  resumed  the  practice  of  the  law. 
But  his  respite  was  brief,  for  his  country  again  demanded  his 
services.  A  few  days  elapsed  when  he  received,  while  busy  at 
court,  a  dispatch  containing  his  appointment  as  lieutenant-colonel 
of  the  Thirty-first  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  with  orders  to  report 
immediately  to  Colonel  Walker.  One  hour  afterward  he  was 
seen  leading  his  new  regiment,  every  man  of  whom-  was  a  per¬ 
fect  stranger,  in  the  direction  of  his  country’s  foes.  In  a  letter 
to  his  parents,  shortly  after  taking  this  new  step,  he  says: 

“I  tried  to  see  the  path  of  duty  leading  in  another  direction, 
but  I  could  not.  The  more  I  thought  the  matter  over  (and  it 
scarcely  left  my  mind  a  moment  day  or  night),  the  more  I  felt  it 
to  be  a  duty  to  obey  the  call  of  my  country.  I  could  not  fix  my 
mind  upon  my  business;  it  was  off  with  the  noble  fellows  who, 
amid  danger  and  death,  are  striving  to  uphold  and  perpetuate 
our  beloved  institutions.” 


178 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


He  adds,  as  if  with  prophetic  vision  he  saw  in  the  dim 
future  the  terrible  sacrifice  which  awaited  him: 

“If  I 'fall  in  this  strife,  and  my  country  needs  the  poor  offer¬ 
ing  of  my  life  to  cement  her  as  one  country,  I  will  die  like  a  soldier 
and  a  patriot ,  in  the  most  glorious  cause  that  man  ever  had  the 
privilege  to  draw  a  sword  in ,  and,  as  I  trust  and  believe,  in  the 
full  discharge  of  my  duty.” 

In  March,  1862,  Lieutenant-colonel  Jones  was  transferred  to 
the  Twenty-fourth  Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry.  The  attachments 
of  the  officers  of  his  old  brigade  and  division  was  such  that 
they,  headed  by  Generals  Shoepf  and  Thomas,  united  in  a  peti¬ 
tion  to  have  him  returned  to  his  old  regiment  ;  but  the  exigencies 
of  the  occasion  would  not  allow  it,  and  he  was  compelled  to  fill 
the  place  of  Colonel  Ammen,  then  acting  brigadier.  This  trans¬ 
fer  was  made  at  the  suggestion  of  Colonel  Ammen,  and  was  a 
high  compliment  to  so  young  an  officer.  Colonel  Ammen  is  an 
old  army  officer,  a  graduate  of  West  Point,  and  was  a  teacher 
in  that  institution  over  thirty  years  ago.  With  all  the  prejudices 
natural  to  an  old  West  Pointer,  he  must  have  seen  some  un¬ 
usual  indication  of  talent  in  Colonel  Jones  to  have  enlisted  him 
so  heartily  in  his  favor. 

Although  Colonel  Jones  was  frequently  engaged  in  skirmishes 
with  the  enemy,  the  first  great  battle  in  which  he  took  an  active 
part  was  that  of  Shiloh.  His  regiment  formed  part  of  the  advance 
brigade  of  General  Buell’s  army,  and  were  about  ten  miles  from 
the  scene  of  contest  when  the  battle  began.  They  were  or¬ 
dered  to  move  to  the  assistance  of  Grant’s  army,  and  arrived  in 
time  to  hurl  back  the  insolent  foe,  who  were  driving  every 
thing  before  them.  The  next  day  the  battle  was  renewed,  and 
for  over  half  an  hour  the  Twenty-fourth,  commanded  by  Lieu- 
tenant-colonel  Jones,  resisted  the  attack  of  an  entire  brigade, 
and  finally  drove  them ;  not,  however,  without  severe  loss,  over 
seventy  of  his  officers  and  men  having  been  cut  down  by  the 
missiles  of  death.  His  cool  and  daring  conduct  on  this  bloody 


COLONEL  FREDERICK  C.  JONES. 


179 


field  obtained  for  him  the  highest  commendations  of  his  superior 
officers.  Soon  after,  he  received  a  telegram  from  Governor  Tod, 
promoting  him  to  the  position  of  colonel  for  gallantry  on  the 
battle-field. 

In  July,  1862,  Colonel  Jones  met  with  a  crushing  bereave¬ 
ment  in  the  death  of  a  loving  mother.  His  letter  of  condolence 
to  his  father  on  this  occasion  is  so  full  of  touching  pathos,  and 
reveals  such  a  depth  of  filial  love  and  devotion,  that  we  feel  it 
our  duty  as  a  faithful  biographer  to  lay  it  before  our  readers. 

“  Camp  near  McMinnville,  Tennessee,  \ 

August  10,  1862.  J 

“My  Dear  Father. — Your  sorrowing  letters  of  the  17th 
and  26th  of  July  were  received  last  evening,  and  overwhelmed 
me  with  grief  at  the  news  of  the  death  of  my  dear,  dear  mother. 
O  God !  I  can  not  bear  to  think  of  it.  To  come  home  and  miss 
from  there  her  whom  above  all  others  I  should  expect  to  meet, 
whose  greeting  and  welcome  was  always  first  and  warmest, 
and  whose  care  and  exertions  were  always  greatest  for  my  ease 
and  comfort,  is  more  than  my  heart  can  bear.  Tears  flow,  but 
they  bring  not  back  my  mother.  I  know  our  loss  is  her  infinite 
gain;  for  it  there  ever  was  an  unselfish  Christian  woman  and 
mother,  it  was  ours,  and  reason  and  revelation  alike  teach  me 
that  to-day,  this  beautiful  Sabbath-day,  she  watches  from  her 
bright  home  in  the  skies,  with  her  old  kindly  care,  her  children 
left  behind;  that  she  has  to-day  her  bright  crown  in  the  king¬ 
dom  of  love,  and  lias  met  our  dear  friends  who  have  gone  before 
her.  But  knowing  all  this,  the  heart  swells  with  grief,  and  re¬ 
fuses  to  be  comforted.  God  help  us!  home  is  once  more  deso¬ 
lated.  Our  mother  is  forever  gone  from  among  us.  The  places 
which  kn£w  her,  alas,  will  know  her  no  more  forever!  Here  I 
am,  a  thousand  miles  away  from  her  I  loved  so  dearly,  while 
she  suffered,  who  had  so  often  nursed  me  in  sickness.  I  thought 
soon  to  see  her,  and  had  applied  for  leave  of  absence,  as  I  wrote 
to  her  two  weeks  ago ;  but,  alas,  it  is  too  late !  I  can  write  no 
more  now.  Good-bye,  father.  With  overflowing  heart, 

“  I  am,  as  ever, 


“  Your  Affectionate  Son.” 


180 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


In  October,  1862,  while  the  Tenth  Brigade  was  at  Wild 
Cat,  Kentucky,  the  command,  in  the  absence  of  his  superior 
officer,  devolved  upon  Col.  Jones.  During  the  month  which 
followed,  all  his  talents  and  experience  as  a  commander  were 
brought  into  daily  requisition.  They  were  pursuing  an  enemy 
strong  in  numbers  and  flushed  with  recent  successes,  and  the 
march  from  Wild  Cat  to  Nashville  was  almost  one  continual 
skirmish  with  the  wily  foe.  For  his  able  leadership  during 
this  march  he  received  the  thanks  not  only  of  his  general,  but 
of  every  field  officer  in  his  brigade.  Perhaps  the  safest  test  of 
a  man’s  character  is  his  deeds,  rather  than  his  words.  Col. 
Jones  has  made  a  record  of  which  his  friends  may,  with  reason, 
be  proud. 

He  was  a  born  leader.  His  strong,  positive  nature  caused 
other  minds  to  curve  to  his  will  as  the  iron  filings  to  the  pole 
of  the  magnet.  Strong  and  brilliant  traits  of  character  win 
admiration,  but  seldom  love.  Few,  however,  who  were  intimate 
with  Col.  Jones  failed  to  love  him.  His  greeting  of  friends 
was  so  cordial.  No  one  can  forget  his  cheery  words,  his  happy 
smile,  his  hearty  grasp  of  the  hand. 

Some  months  previous  to  his  death  he  seems  to  have  been 
impressed  with  the  nearness  of  this  sad  event.  On  his  last  visit 
to  his  home  he  indicated  his  belief  that  he  was  bidding  his 
friends  a  final  adieu.  His  last  letters  show  that  his  thoughts 
dwelt  much  on  the  future,  and  indicate  the  faith  and  confidence 
of  a  Christian  patriot.  We  quote  from  a  letter  to  his  sister, 
dated  December  3,  1862,  three  weeks  before  his  death  : 

u  To  me  the  most  practically  pleasing  feature  of  our  divine 
religion  is,  God’s  protecting  care  is  over  and  around  us  wher¬ 
ever  we  are.  The  pagans  of  antiquity,  with  all  their  grand 
mythology,  had  no  God  whose  arm  could  shield  beyond  his  im- 
mediate  presence.  Blessed  be  our  God !  His  hand  is  guiding 
us  at  all  times  and  everywhere.  His  'protecting  love  is  around 
us,  an  cegis  and  a  shield  from  every  harm ,  guarding  us  amid  the 


COLONEL  FREDERICK  C.  JONES. 


181 


smoke  and  carnage  of  the  battle-field  as  securely  as  if  surrounded 
by  the  kindly  care  of  friends  at  home.  Let  our  faith  lay  hold  of 
-his  promises  whose  divine  will  it  is  that  to-day  ice  part — that  in 
his  own  good  time  we  may  all  again  meet  to  thank  him  for  leading 
us  safely  through  the  thorny  paths  of  life.” 


When  the  army  moved  from  Nashville,  Col.  Jones  was  very 
sick,  and  was  advised  by  the  general  officers  to  remain  uutil  he 
recovered.  His  men  also  implored  him  to  do  so,  but  without 
avail.  “  I  will  go  with  you,  boys/’  he  replied,  “  as  long  as  I 
am  able  to  be  taken  in  an  ambulance.”  Pie  rode  in  an  ambulance 
until  they  reached  Lavergne ;  but  when  the  fight  began  there, 
he  called  for  his  horse,  and  no  importunities  could  restrain  him 
from  mounting  and  participating  in  that  fight. 

On  the  first  day  of  the  battle  in  which  he  lost  his  life,  the 
24th  was  in  front,  on  the  left.  Though  exposed  to  fire  during  the 
morning,  he  had  no  opportunity  of  distinguishing  himself.  In 
the  afternoon,  when  the  enemy  assaulted  the  left  so  vehemently, 
Col.  Jones  required  his  men  to  lie  flat  upon  the  ground  and  hold 
their  fire  until  the  enemy  approached  closely.  The  rebels 
moved  up  swiftly  till  they  were  within  point-blank  range,  when, 
at  their  colonel’s  command,  his  brave  soldiers  raised  to  their 
knees,  fired  a  deadly  volley,  charged  bayonets,  and  checked  the 
advancing  enemy.  Col.  Jones  fell  in  this  brilliant  charge!  He 
received  the  fatal  ball  in  the  right  side,  the  missile  passing  clear 
through  him.  Some  of  the  officers  approaching,  asked,  “Col¬ 
onel,  are  you  much  hurt  ?”  He  replied,  “  I  believe  I  am, 
severely.”  He  was  then  borne  to  the  rear,  two  of  the  bearers 
being  shot  down  while  in  the  discharge  of  that  duty. 

As  soon  as  possible  several  prominent  surgeons  hastened  to 
his  side,  among  them  a  distinguished  regular  army  surgeon,  and, 
after  carefully  examining  the  wound,  said: 

“  Colonel,  you  are  a  soldier,  and  a  brave  one,  and  I  know  it 
will  not  alarm  you  when  I  tell  you  your  wound  is  mortal.” 

“  No,  doctor,”  he  replied ;  “  1  knew  it  was  mortal  when  I 


182 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


received  it.  Waste  no  time  on  me,  doctor,  but  attend  to  my  poor 
men  around  me.” 

He  was  then  in  the  cottage  hospital,  a  long,  one  story 
white  building  on  the  east  side  of  Stone  River,  filled  with 
wounded  men,  among  whom  were  many  of  his  own  regiment; 
for  more  than  half  his  officers  and  one-fourth  of  his  men  had 
fallen  with  him  in  a  few  minutes  in  the  terrible  onslaught  of 
Breckinridge’s  division.  His  answer  to  the  surgeons  was  char¬ 
acteristic  ;  forgetful  of  self,  he  only  remembered  his  wounded 
soldiers.  There  was  one  secret  of  his  great  popularity.  Not  one 
of  that  brave  band  but  would  have  willingly  sacrificed  himself 
to  save  his  beloved  colonel. 

Just  before  he  died,  Surgeon  Cox,  brother  of  Judge  Joseph 
Cox,  who  was  with  him  until  his  death,  asked  him  if  he  wished 
to  write  any  thing  to  friends. 

“  No,”  said  he;  “I  am  in  too  much  pain  to  write.” 

“  Well,  colonel,”  said  Dr.  Cox,  “  I  will  write  for  you  what¬ 
ever  you  may  dictate.” 

“  It  is  not  necessary.  Telegraph  my  brother  A.  E. ;  he  knows 
my  wishes,  and  will  attend  to  all  my  affairs.  I  talked  to  him 
about  that  before  I  left  home.  Should  you  see  him,  or  my  dear 
father,  tell  them  I  fell  doing  my  duty  and  for  my  country.” 

A  few  minutes  later,  just  at  ten  o’clock  at  night,  he  called 
to  his  faithful  servant,  William,  who  stood  weeping  near  him: 

“William,  stretch  out  my  feet;  I  am  dying  now;  good-bye, 
my  faithful  boy  and  breathed  his  last. 

Thus  fell  brave  and  gallant  Frederick  C.  Jones,  as  pure  and 
true  a  patriot  as  ever  drew  sword  in  defense  of  his  country. 

His  body  was  brought  to  the  city,  where  it  was  buried  with 
civic  and  military  honors.  Thousands  of  sad  hearts  joined  the 
pageant  which  followed  his  remains  to  their  last  resting-place. 
His  body  rests  amid  the  quiet  shades  of  Spring  Grove,  in  the 
center  mound,  surrounded  by  three  hundred  of  his  comrades, 
where  it  will  sleep  till  the  resurrection  morn.  And  thus 


JOHN  D.  JONES. 


183 


another  victim  was  sacrificed  to  the  Moloch  of  rebellion.  While 
we  bow  submissively  to  the  will  of  an  overruling  Providence, 
the  query  will  arise,  Why  was  one  so  young,  so  gifted,  so 
useful  to  the  world  cut  down  in  the  very  midst  of  his  useful- 
ness?  And  this  query  is  repeated  in  ten  thousand  sorrowing 
households :  Why  has  the  nation  received  this  terrible  baptism 
of  blood  ?  May  we  not  hope  that  the  sacrifice  has  not  been  in 
vain?  If  it  required  the  immolation  of  the  Son  of  God  to  re¬ 
generate  a  world,  why  may  it  not  also  require  the  blood  of  our 
noblest  sons  to  regenerate  a  nation  ?  The  Creator’s  schemes  of 
active  benevolence  are  not  shut  up  within  the  confines  of  this 
narrow  world.  They  are  not  limited  to  a  man’s  brief  existence 
here.  There  are  other  higher,  broader,  nobler  spheres  of  action 
in  the  grand  universe  of  God.  Should  we  not  then  rejoice  that 
one  who  was  commended  among  men,  whom  rulers  of  the  earth 
delighted  to  honor,  should  be  deemed  by  the  Great  Ruler  worthy 
of  promotion  to  higher  honors  than  earth  can  ever  give  ? 


JOHN  D.  JONES 

Was  born  near  Morgantown,  Berks  County,  Pennsylvania,  on 
the  ninth  day  of  December,  1797,  and  was  the  son  of  John  and 
Elizabeth  Jones — being  paternally  of  Welsh  ancestry,  as  his 
name  would  indicate,  with  a  mixture  of  Scotch-Irish  blood  de¬ 
rived  by  maternal  descent. 

John  D.  Jones,  while  quite  young,  prompted  by  ambition  as 
well  as  necessity,  determined  to  engage  in  the  battle  of  life  on 
his  own  account.  He  left  the  scenes  of  his  boyhood,  went  to 
Philadelphia  at  an  early  age  to  learn  the  mercantile  business, 
and  was  there  employed  by  his  maternal  uncles,  Thomas  and 
John  R.  Graham,  East  India  merchants.  Subsequently,  in  Sep¬ 
tember,  1819,  with  his  older  brother,  George  W.  Jones,  he  de¬ 
parted  for  the  West,  crossing  the  Alleghany  Mountains  in  the 


184 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


well-known  Conestoga  wagons,  of  whose  ample  proportions  and 
usefulness  perhaps  only  the  oldest  inhabitants  have  a  just  appre¬ 
ciation,  and  came  down  the  Ohio  River  in  a  flatboat,  bringing  a 
well-assorted  stock  of  dry  goods  and  other  necessary  parts  of  an 
outfit  to  establish  a  Western  store. 

They  left  Wheeling  on  the  13th  of  October,  and,  after  a 
severe  journey  and  hard  experience,  arrived  at  Cincinnati  on  the 
6th  of  November.  There  these  young  merchants  made  their 
first  essay  in  a  field  of  labor,  at  that  time  of  limited  and  circum¬ 
scribed  dimensions,  but  which,  by  the  skill,  science,  and  indom¬ 
itable  perseverance  of  those  who  settled  there,  has  enlarged  and 
developed  far  beyond  the  calculations  and  most  sanguine  con¬ 
ceptions  of  those  first  identified  with  the  Western  country. 

On  the  first  day  of  December,  1820,  his  brother  and  partner 
died,  leaving  the  care  and  responsibility  of  a  new  business  upon 
one  as  yet  inexperienced.  This  was  a  sad  blow,  almost  crushing 
in  its  effects,  in  which  the  subject  of  our  sketch  had  the  sincere 
sympathy  of  many  recently  made  friends,  who  justly  appreciated 
the  memory  of  the  deceased. 

Notwithstanding  this  disappointment  and  the  death  of  his 
beloved  brother,  happening  when  his  plans  of  life  had  scarcely 
been  formed,  the  subject  of  our  remarks,  with  his  uncle,  Thomas 
Graham,  continued  the  business  under  the  firm  name  of  John 
D.  Jones  &  Co.  till  its  dissolution  in  1827,  at  which  date  his 
younger  brother,  Caleb  Jones,  became  his  partner,  and  their 
business  was  continued  under  the  firm  name  of  J.  D.  &  C.  Jones, 
with  a  constant  and  steady  development,  and  attended  with  sat¬ 
isfactory  results. 

On  the  22d  of  September,  1823,  at  Piqua,  in  Miami  County, 
Ohio,  John  D.  Jones  was  married  to  Elizabeth  Johnston,  the 
eldest  daughter  of  the  late  Colonel  Johnston ;  and  with  this  be¬ 
loved  and  greatly  esteemed  lady  Mr.  Jones  enjoyed  a  married 
life  of  almost  fifty-five  years,  and  their  union  was  blessed  with 
thirteen  children. 


JOHN  I).  JONES. 


185 


The  firm  of  J.  D.  &  C.  Jones  was  engaged  in  business  for 
the  period  of  twenty-one  years,  and  succeeded  by  the  firms  of 
J.  D.  &  C.  Jones  &  Co.  and  Jones  Brothers  &  Co.  successively, 

J  J 

of  which  John  D.  Jones  was  the  senior  partner — these  mercan¬ 
tile  establishments  being  heirs,  so  to  speak,  of  the  parent  house 
erected  years  before,  with  the  changes  in  name  only  rendered 
necessary  by  the  demands  of  their  increasing  and  successful 
business.  Mr.  Jones  retired  from  all  active  participation  in 
business  in  July,  1865,  having  been  engaged  in  the  dry-goods 
trade  uninterruptedly  for  almost  fifty  years. 

As  a  merchant,  he  was  active,  generous,  methodical,  and 
honorable,  and  his  life  was  not  without  moral  and  religious  in¬ 
fluences  in  society;  for  at  an  early  age  he  and  his  wife  became 
members  and  communicants  in  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church, 
and  for  forty-two  years  attended  Christ  Church,  in  Cincinnati ; 
and,  although  liberal  in  his  views  in  matters  of  religion,  he  was 
sincerely  attached  to  the  doctrines  and  form  of  worship  of  his 
Church,  and  always  actively  and  personally  interested  in  its 
welfare  and  progress.  He  co-operated  with  others  by  contrib¬ 
uting  toward  the  erection  of  Christ  Church  in  Cincinnati,  as 
well  as  the  church  of  the  same  name  in  Glendale. 

As  a  citizen  he  sympathized  with  the  party  of  progess  and 
men  of  public  spirit,  contributing  his  time  and  means  to  many 
enterprises  which  resulted  in  the  establishment  of  some  of  our 
railroads,  banks,  insurance  companies,  as  well  as  benevolent  and 
charitable  institutions.  In  1834  he  was  a  member  of  the  board 
of  directors  of  the  Lafayette  Bank ;  and  with  Josiah  Lawrence, 
Judge  H.  K.  Este,  Hon.  Salmon  P.  Chase,  and  others,  was  asso¬ 
ciated  in  the  management  of  that  corporation  for  many  years ; 
and  also,  afterward,  was  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Cincinnati, 
Hamilton  &  Dayton  Railroad  Company,  the  Junction  Railroad 
Company,  the  Cincinnati  Insurance  Company,  the  White  Water 
Valley  Canal  Company,  Miami  Valley  Insurance  Company. 

He  was  also  associated  with  Miles  Greenwood  and  others 

13 


186 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


in  the  establishment  and  subsequent  control  of  the  Hamilton 
County  House  of  Refuge,  and  for  almost  twenty  years  was  one  of 
the  trustees  of  the  Cincinnati  OrphaVi  Asylum,  an  institution  in 
which  he  Avas  especially  interested,  and  with  which  his  wife  was 
also  for  many  years  one  of  the  lady  managers,  and  he  severed  his 
connection  with  this  work  of  love  by  resigning,  April  9,  1871. 
He  Avas  also  a  life  member  of  the  American  Bible  Society,  a 
corporate  member  of  the  Historical  Society  of  Cincinnati,  a 
corresponding  member  of  the  State  Historical  Societies  of  Penn- 
sylvania  and  Wisconsin,  a  life  member  of  the  Mercantile  Li¬ 
brary  Association  of  Cincinnati,  and  of  the  Ohio  Mechanics’ 
Institute;  and  for  more  than  tAventy-five  years  Avas  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  being  a  Knight  Templar  of  the 
Cincinnati  Commandery. 

For  forty-six  years  he  resided  in  the  city  of  Cincinnati; 
but,  after  retiring  from  business,  in  1865,  he  purchased  a  house 
in  Glendale,  Ohio,  Avhere  he  continued  to  reside  to  the  date  of 
his  decease,  on  the  9th  day  of  August,  1878,  in  the  eighty-first 
year  of  his  age.  For  se\7eral  years  after  removing  to  the  coun¬ 
try  he  held  the  position  of  senior  Avarden  of  Christ  Church  of 
that  beautiful  suburban  village. 

He  lived  to  enjoy  a  long  life,  and  his  remains  Avere  borne 
to  their  final  resting-place  by  his  friends,  Hon.  Rufus  King, 
Robert  Buchanan,  A.  D.  Bullock,  John  W.  HartAvell,  Peter  A. 
White,  C.  J.  W.  Smith,  John  H.  Porter,  and  John  Titus. 


MRS.  JOHN  D.  JONES. 

Elizabeth  Johnston  Jones,  relict  of  the  late  John  D.  Jones, 
deceased,  died  at  her  residence  in  Glendale,  near  the  city  of 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  at  5  o’clock,  P.  M.,  on  Tuesday,  NoATember 
19,  1878,  in  the  seventy-second  year  of  her  age.  She  Avas 
the  eldest  daughter  of  the  late  Colonel  John  Johnston,  and  Avas 


MRS.  JOHN  D.  JONES. 


187 


born  September  22,  1807,  in  the  fort  from  which  Fort  Wayne, 
Indiana,  derives  its  name,  while  her  father  was  United  States 
factor  and  Indian  agent,  stationed  at  that  post.  She  was  mar¬ 
ried  on  the  22d  of  September,  1823,  her  sixteenth  birthday,  at 
Piqua,  in  Miami  County,  Ohio;  and  by  the  merciful  and  kind 
providence  of  our  Divine  Master,  she  and  her  husband,  who 
departed  this  life  a  few  months  before  her,  were  permitted  to 
enjoy  a  married  life  of  almost  fifty-five  years.  For  many  years 
she  was  a  member  and  attendant  of  Christ  Episcopal  Church,  in 
Cincinnati,  and  at  her  death  was  the  oldest  living  member  of 
that  Church.  She  was  a  member  of  the  Pioneer  Association 
of  Cincinnati,  of  which  her  venerable  father  was  for  several  years 
president ;  and  in  addition  to  being  a  most  devout  and  zealous 
member  of  the  Episcopal  Church  for  more  than  a  half  century, 
she  served  with  most  loving  interest  for  twenty  years  as  one  of 
the  lady  managers  of  the  Cincinnati  Orphan  Asylum. 

Mrs.  Jones  was  married  early  in  life,  while  a  girl  in  years, 
and  before  her  character,  one  would  naturally  suppose,  was 
developed.  But  her  education,  under  the  supervision  and  guid¬ 
ance  of  wise  and  careful  parents,  prepared  her  for  the  position 
of  responsibility  she  afterwards  assumed  as  the  mother  of  a 
larve  family  and  the  wife  of  a  husband  for  many  years  actively 

O  J  J  J  J 

and  largely  engaged  in  commercial  business  and  enterprises  of 
public  and  private  importance. 

The  funeral  services  were  held  in  Christ  Church,  Cincin¬ 
nati,  the  Bev.  D.  Pise,  Bev.  Bichard  Gray,  and  Bev.  I.  New¬ 
ton  Stanger  officiating.  The  remains  were  borne  to  Spring 
Grove  Cemetery  by  the  friendly  hands  of  B.  M.  Shoemaker, 
Bobert  Buchanan,  George  K.  Shoenberger,  George  T.  Steadman, 
Caldwell  Neave,  Benjamin  B.  Whiteman,  Henry  C.  Urner,  and 
A.  D.  Bullock,  acting  as  pall-bearers. 


188 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


GEORGE  W.  C.  JOHNSTON 

Was  born  in  Cincinnati,  in  the  year  1829,  of  Scotch-Irish  par¬ 
ents,  and  was  fifty  years  old  when  he  died.  He  received  a 
limited  education  in  the  common-schools,  and  set  up,  while  a 
mere  boy,  as  house  and  sign  painter.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one 
he  abandoned  this  for  mercantile  pursuits.  Six  years  later  he 
commenced  dealing  in  wood,  and  soon  after  in  coal,  in  which 
business  he  continued  till  the  day  of  his  death.  He  was  a  Dem¬ 
ocrat  all  his  life,  and  early  and  often  served  as  a  member  of  the 
executive  committee.  In  1872  he  was  chairman  of  the  Ham¬ 
ilton  County  delegation  to  the  State  Democratic  Convention, 
which  met  at  Cleveland,  and  chose  delegates  to  the  National 
Democratic  Convention.  In  1859  he  was  elected  member  of 
the  City  Council  from  what  is  now  the  Eighth  Ward.  Shortly 
after  this  time,  he  was  nominated  by  the  Democracy  for  city 
auditor,  but  he  shared  defeat  with  the  whole  city  Democratic 
ticket.  In  1871  he  was  made  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Health;  and  in  1872  was  elected  trustee  of  the  water- works 
by  an  overwhelming  majority.  In  1873  he  was  elected  mayor 
by  sixteen  hundred  majority,  and  was  the  first  Democratic 
mayor  elected  for  ten  years.  In  1875  he  was  re-elected  mayor 
by  6,397  majority,  and  was  the  first  Democratic  mayor  re¬ 
nominated  and  re-elected  since  1855.  In  1877  he  ran  for  a 
third  term,  and  was  defeated  by  Hon.  R.  M.  Moore.  He 
served  also  on  the  Board  of  Education. 

George  W.  C.  Johnston  was  a  man  gifted  bv  nature  with 
great  versatility  of  mind.  His  memory  was  remarkable.  Few 
men  were  his  equal  in  power  of  endurance.  The  facility  with 
which  he  could  pass  from  one  item  of  business  to  another  was 
only  less  surprising  than  the  quickness  and  thoroughness  of  his 
comprehension  of  the  matter,  and  the  completeness  of  his  grasp 


GEORGE  W.  C.  JOHNSTON . 


189 


of  it.  He  had  the  rare  power  to  penetrate  beneath  the  surface 
of  a  matter  almost  instantly,  by  intuition,  as  it  were.  Those  who 
knew  him  best  were  best  aware  of  the  variety  of  his  talent. 
He  was  a  lover  of  music,  and  was  an  admirable  performer  on 
the  piano,  the  violin,  the  flute,  and  the  cornet,  though  he  never 
paraded  these  accomplishments,  and  so  seldom  made  mention  of 
them  that  only  those  most  intimately  acquainted  with  him  were 
aware  of  their  existence.  As  a  member  of  a  municipal  board  he 
was  quick  and  powerful  in  discovering  the  mistakes  of  his  po¬ 
litical  opponents,  and  turning  them  to  account  for  the  benefit 
of  his  party.  During  his  first  term  as  mayor  there  were  twenty- 
seven  auxiliary  boards  in  the  municipal  government,  of  most  of 
which  the  mayor  was  ex  officio  a  member,  generally  the  chair¬ 
man.  These  duties  were  abridged  by  the  Legislature  during  his 
second  term.  It  was  during  this  term  that,  in  the  face  of  op¬ 
position  and  criticism,  he  managed  to  organize  and  carry  out 
successfully  a  jamboree  to  greet  the  Centennial  New-year,  1876. 
As  a  host  to  receive  visitors  to  Cincinnati,  he  succeeded  most 
admirably,  without  aid  from  the  municipal  treasury.  When 
the  yellow-fever  plague  visited  the  Southern  cities  during  his 
term,  he  acted  with  great  promptness  and  efficiency. 

Since  his  retirement  from  public  service,  during  the  last  two 
years  of  his  life,  he  participated  in  an  enterprise  of  building  a 
street  railroad  in  Portsmouth.  Before  he  entered  public  life, 
and  early  in  his  career  in  the  coal  business,  he  operated  a  line 
of  omnibuses  in  the  city.  He  was  nominated  for  State  sen- 
ator  soon  after  his  defeat  for  mayor,  but  declined.  He  was 
nominated  by  the  County  Democratic  Convention  for  sheriff,  but 
was  beaten.  This  was  the  closing  scene  of  his  eventful  life.  Pie 
left  a  wife  and  three  daughters. 


190 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


HON.  JOSEPH  JONAS. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  one  of  the  pioneers  of  the  “  Queen 
City/’  was  the  first  Israelite  that  settled  in  Cincinnati.  He  was 
horn  in  Exeter,  England,  May  6,  1792;  he  emigrated  to  Amer¬ 
ica  in  1815,  and  made  his  residence  in  Cincinnati  in  1820.  Be- 
in £  an  ardent  admirer  of  General  Jackson,  Mr.  Jonas  took  an 
active  part  in  the  elevation  of  that  great  man  to  the  presidency, 
and  his  political  contributions  to  the  leading  Democratic  paper, 
edited  by  Moses  Dawson,  caused  the  opponents  of  General  Jack- 
son  to  dub  him  a  member  of  the  Democratic  firm  of  “  Jonas, 
Cist  &  Co.7’  Mr.  Jonas  was  honored  by  the  people  of  Hamil¬ 
ton  County  with  the  position  of  State  senator  for  the  term  of 
1860  and  1861.  Upon  the  death  of  his  wife  in  1867,  after  forty- 
seven  years  residence  in  Ohio,  he  removed  to  Mobile,  Alabama, 
in  order  to  live  with  his  children.  After  an  honored  existence 
of  seventy-seven  years,  Mr.  Jonas  departed  this  life,  May  5,  1869, 
at  Spring  Hill,  near  Mobile,  Alabama,  his  remains  finding  a 
resting-place  in  Magnolia  Cemetery,  Mobile’s  beautiful  city  of 
the  dead. 


HON.  GEORGE  KECK. 

Among  the  younger  of  our  old-school  merchants  of  the  past 
may  very  justly  be  classed  the  late  Hon.  George  Keck,  who  was 
for  nearly  twenty  years  so  intimately  connected  with  mercantile 
and  public  life  in  Cincinnati.  Mr.  Keck  was  born  in  'West- 
moreland  County,  Pennsylvania,  in  the  year  1810,  where  he  re¬ 
ceived  a  good  common-school  education,  and  then  learned  the 
trade  of  a  tanner.  Being  energetic,  and  not  seeing  the  chance, 
for  success  at  home,  when  he  arrived  at  maturity,  or  in  1831 
Mr.  Keck  came  West,  and  settled  in  our  little  neighboring  city, 
Hamilton,  where  he  engaged  in  merchandising  and  pork-packing. 


HON.  GEORGE  KECK. 


191 


The  latter  branch  brought  him  to  this  city  a  great  deal  of  his 
time,  and  having  prospered  beyond  his  brightest  expectations, 
and  desirous  of  further  enlarging  his  business,  in  1845  Mr. 
Keck  permanently  settled  in  Cincinnati,  which  was  afterward  to 
be  his  home  till  the  day  of  his  death,  which  occurred  December 
14,  1864,  when  in  the  fifty-fourth  year  of  his  age. 

Mr.  Keck  by  nature  was  warm-hearted  and  generous.  No 
man  had  a  greater  love  for  his  fellow-man  than  had  George 
Keck;  and  while  always  quiet  and  extremely  unobtrusive  in 
aiding  those  who  had  been  less  fortunate  than  himself  in  stem¬ 
ming  the  stream  of  life,  yet  he  was  always  ready  to  render 
material  and  substantial  aid  wherever  deserving.  As  a  merchant 
he  was  painstaking,  careful,  and  exacting.  With  him  every 
thing  was  method,  by  which  he  always  declared  that  “a  man 
who  has  method  can  do  ten  times  as  much  business  as  one  who 
has  not.” 

Some  time  after  removing  to  this  city,  Mr.  Keck  was  elected 
to  the  City  Council  from  the  old  Fifth  Ward,  a  ward  which  had 
had  as  its  representatives  such  well-known  citizens  as  Hon.  John 
F.  Torrence,  Nathaniel  Bartlett,  John  AY.  Mcssick,  Judge  Bel¬ 
lamy  Storer,  N.  AY.  Thomas,  J.  Stacey  Hill,  and  Benjamin  Eg¬ 
gleston.  In  that  body  Mr.  Keck  was  a  working  member,  his 
influence  and  vote  always  being  felt  in  every  measure  of  im¬ 
portance.  In  this  line  Mr.  Keck  never  once  considered  self,  or 
what  others  would  think;  he  always  acted  and  voted  from  a 
conviction  of  right,  from  a  desire  to  promote  the  interests  of  the 
city  and  its  citizens.  After  retiring  from  council,  Mr.  Keck 
was  at  different  times  a  director  of  the  Flouse  of  Refuge,  trustee 
of  the  Board  of  AYater- works,  member  of  the  Military  Committee 
during  the  war,  and  a  representative  in  the  Ohio  Legislature 
from  Hamilton  County.  Mr.  Keck  was  the  president  of  the 
Second  National  Bank,  from  its  organization  up  till  within  a  few 
weeks  of  his  death. 

AYhile  as  free  from  dogmatism  or  the  niceties  of  creed  as 


192 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


any  man  could  be,  Mr.  Keck  was  withal  an  earnest  Christian, 
for  many  years  being  an  active  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church, 
which  faith  was  sufficient  to  sustain  him  through  his  last,  a  most 
painful  sickness. 

During  the  last  year  of  his  life  the  friends  of  Mr.  Keck 
could  not  help  noticing  that  he  was  failing  in  health;  and  when 
spoken  to  in  relation  to  his  condition,  he  would  cheerfully  reply, 
“Yes,  I  am  far  from  well;  the  end  is  doubtlessly  drawing  nigh; 
but  when  a  man  has  lived  a  correct  life  he  surely  has  nothing 
to  fear  from  death.- ” 

Some  weeks  before  the  latter  occurrence,  the  family  physician 
informed  Mr.  Keck  that  “his  disease  was  cancer  of  the  stomach, 
which  always  baffled  the  greatest  skill;”  to  which  Mr.  Keck 
smilingly  responded,  “Doctor,  that  means  that  I  must  shortly 
die;”  and  he  at  once,  in  expectation  of  being  soon  called  away, 
went  to  work  methodically  arranging  his  business,  dividing  his 
large  property,  and  placing  every  thing  in  order.  There  was  no 
haste  or  confusion — every  thing  was  system. 

Although  dying  in  the  midst  of  the  civil  war,  in  which  he 
was  one  of  the  strongest  advocates  of  the  Union  cause,  when 
the  papers,  on  Christmas  morning,  announced  the  death  of  Mr. 
Keck,  there  was  a  universal  feeling  of  sorrow.  The  community 
felt  that  we  had  lost  one  of  our  best  citizens  and  purest  mer¬ 
chants  and  officers.  Everywhere  the  death  of  Mr.  Keck  was 
looked  upon  as  a  public  loss. 

Mr.  Keck  had  four  children,  two  daughters  (one,  Mrs.  C.  W. 
Thomas,  deceased),  and  two  sons,  Hon.  J.  L.  Keck  and  George 
W.  Keck,  well-known  and  highly  esteemed  business  men,  who 
were  sources  of  great  solace  to  a  most  excellent  mother. 

De  B. 


LUKE  KENT— JAMES  LAFFER TY. 


193 


LUKE  KENT 

Was  born  in  Portsmouth,  England,  and  came  to  this  country, 
locating  first  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  thence  to  Cincinnati  in  the 
latter  part  of  1813  with  his  wife  and  two  children,  traveling 
over  the  mountains  by  wagon  to  Marietta,  and  then  by  flatboat 
to  Cincinnati.  He  opened  a  jewelry  store  on  the  east  side  of 
Main,  between  Fourth  and  Fifth  Streets,  remaining  there  four 
years,  and  then  moving  to  the  west  side,  below  Allen’s  drug¬ 
store,  and  some  years  afterward  above  Fifth.  He  then  again 
moved  to  the  east  side,  between  Fifth  and  Sixth  Streets,  taking 
his  son  (the  present  Luke  Kent),  then  but  sixteen  years  of  age, 
in  partnership.  He  remained  there  twenty-one  years,  until  his 
death  in  1841.  He  was  an  open-hearted,  genial  old  gentleman, 
and  both  he  and  his  wife  were  faithful  members  of  the  Radical 
Methodist  Church.  Many  of  our  old-time  citizens  will  remem¬ 
ber  their  good  and  happy  faces. 


JAMES  LAFFERTY 

W  as  born  in  New  Castle  County,  Delaware,  near  the  town  of 
Wilmington,  September  27,  1794.  In  the  year  1821  he  moved 
to  this  State  with  his  parents,  traveling  by  wagon  to  Pittsburg, 
thence  by  flatboat  down  the  Ohio  River  to  Cincinnati,  arriving 
here  May  21,  1821,  the  trip  occupying  six  weeks’  time.  They 
located  on  their  farm  in  Clermont  County,  four  or  five  miles 
east  of  Milford,  where  the  old  folks  remained  till  their  death. 
James  Lafferty  was  the  son  of  Archibald  Lafferty  and  Mary 
See.  Archibald  Lafferty  was  the  descendant  of  Scotch  parents. 
Mary  See  was  daughter  of  French  refugees.  James  was  married, 
February  8,  1816,  to  Mary  Ann  Beacom,  who  was  the  daughter 


194 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


of  Irish  parents.  They  lived  together  till  death  separated  them 
by  her  decease  in  December,  1838.  Seven  children  were  the 
fruit  of  this  marriage — six  girls  and  one  boy — all  of  whom,  at 
this  writing,  are  dead  except  Mary  Ann  Blair,  Eliza  B.  Lafferty, 
and  Archibald  B.  Lafferty. 

James  Lafferty  remained  on  the  farm  with  his  parents  till 
the  year  1831,  when  he  removed  to  Cincinnati  and  engaged  in 

the  transfer  business,  which  he  carried  on  till  the  year  1845. 

0 

From  that  time  till  his  death  he  was  not  engaged  in  any  active 
business.  He  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  with  his 
wife,  in  the  year  1816,  and  they  both  ever  after  remained  true 

and  faithful  members.  The  writer  of  this  article  can  say  that 

%/ 

James  Lafferty  was  one  of  God’s  noblemen — an  honest  man — 
and  one  who  was  always  zealous  in  his  religious  duties,  never 
neglecting  Church  matters  for  business  or  pleasure.  His  great¬ 
est  pleasure  was  in  the  Church,  and  nothing  was  important 
enough  to  detain  him  from  every  attendance,  if  he  was  able  to 
go.  He  joined  Asbury  M.  E.  Chapel  in  the  year  1833,  and  was 
an  acceptable  member  till  his  death,  which  occurred  October  15, 
1869,  in  his  seventy-sixth  year.  He  was  a  soldier  in  the  War 
of  1812,  although  a  mere  bov. 

After  his  journey  to  Cincinnati,  by  wagon  and  flatboat,  he 
returned  to  his  native  place  and  back  to  Cincinnati  again  on 
horseback.  Our  readers  know  that  those  were  wild  and  dangerous 
times,  and  the  trip  was  an  exceedingly  perilous  one.  He  scarcely 
knew  what  fear  was.  He  was  a  splendid  marksman,  and  de¬ 
lighted  in  hunting.  Even  at  the  age  of  seventy-three  he  was 
an  excellent  shot  on  the  wing.  Although  dead,  his  children  feel 
that  he  still  lives,  resting  on  that  peaceful,  happy  shore,  where 
sin  and  sorrow  are  no  more* 


A.  B.  LATTA. 


195 


A.  B.  LATTA 

Was  born  in  Clermont  County,  Ohio,  June  11,  1821,  and  came 
with  his  parents  to  Cincinnati  in  1827.  He  was  married,  Oc¬ 
tober  21,  1847,  to  Elizabeth  A.  Pawson,  of  Cincinnati ;  died  in 
Ludlow,  Ky.,  April  28,  1865,  leaving  two  children,  G.  Taylor 
and  Luella  M.  Latta.  He  attended  the  public  schools  until 
thirteen  years  of  age,  when  he  engaged  with  David  Bradford 
for  seventy-five  cents  per  week,  in  his  woolen  mills  on  Congress 
Street.  After  about  three  years’  service  he  was  employed  by 
Mr.  William  Byland,  a  ship-joiner,  for  three  dollars  per  week. 
He  remained  with  him  about  three  years,  his  .wages  being  in¬ 
creased  to  nine  dollars  per  week  the  last  year.  Mr.  Latta  then 
went  to  Samuel  Cummings,  a  brass-founder,  whose  shop  is  still 
on  Front  Street,  between  Pike  and  Butler.  He  remained  there 
till  1841,  when  he  visited  Washington,  going  by  stage  over  the 
mountains.  While  there  he  met  Mr.  Anthony  Harkness,  owner 
of  an  extensive  machine-works  in  Cincinnati,  who  was  so  much 
pleased  with  Mr.  Latta’s  mechanical  ability  that  he  offered  him 
the  sitperintendency  of  his  works,  which  he  accepted.  While 
there  Mr.  Latta  superintended  the  building  ot  the  first  locomo¬ 
tive  built  west  of  the  Alleghany  Mountains.  He  remained 
with  Mr.  Harkness  until  1846,  when  he  again  visited  Washing¬ 
ton,  and  was  there  engaged  in  the  Navy-yard  for  a  short  time. 
After  his  return  to  Cincinnati  he  was  variously  employed, 
always  trying  to  invent  something  new  or  improve  on  the  old. 
He  was  successful  in  many  of  his  inventions,  especially  in 
railway  improvements. 

The  great  invention  of  his  life  was  the  steam  fire-engine. 
In  1843  a  gentleman  from  Indiana  employed  Mr.  Latta  to  make 
a  small  coiled  boiler  after  his  plan,  in  order  that  he  might  exhibit 
it.  He  conceived  the  idea  of  applying  a  similar  one  in  the  con¬ 
struction  of  a  steam  fire-engine ;  but  in  operating  it  he  found 


196 


MEMORIAL  ASS 0 CIA  TION. 


the  friction  and  resistance  of  the  steam  was  very  great,  and  in 
a  boiler  of  any  magnitude  would  be  an  insuperable  objection. 
To  obviate  this  difficulty  the  idea  suggested  itself  of  gradually 
increasing  the  size  of  the  tubes,  thereby  allowing  room  for  the 
expansion  of  the  steam.  Mr.  R.  G.  Bray,  then  chief  of  the 
Fire  Department,  hearing  of  his  plan,  called  upon  Mr.  Latta, 
and,  after  getting  a  full  explanation,  was  anxious  to  have  the 
experiment  tried,  and  induced  the  City  Council  to  appropriate 
a  sufficient  sum  to  make  a  cheap  and  temporary  apparatus  to 
demonstrate  the  rapidity  of  raising  steam  in  the  boiler,  which 
was  the  most  important  point  to  be  ascertained.  Upon  trial 
the  apparatus  proved  a  success,  and  Mr.  Latta,  together  with 
his  brother  Edmiston,  then  leased  some  property  on  Race 
Street,  and  began  building  the  first  steam  fire-engine.  It  was 
completed  in  due  time,  and  publicly  tested. 

As  is  often  the  case  with  inventors,  Mr.  Latta  was  not 
blessed  with  wealth,  but  had  many  kind  and  influential  friends. 
Among  the  number  were  Mr.  Griffin  Taylor,  who  assisted  him 
with  his  means,  and  Messrs.  George  Graham  and  Joseph  Ross, 
through  whose  influence  the  City  Council  contracted  with  Mr. 
Latta  for  the  first  steam  fire-engine,  which  was  named  the 
Uncle  Joe  Boss. 

On  the  1st  of  January,  1853,  this  machine  was  publicly 
tried  on  the  corner  of  Second  and  Broadway.  Four  horses 
were  hitched  to  the  engine  (not  because  they  were  required,  but 
to  keep  from  frightening  other  horses;  it  was,  of  course,  large 
and  unwieldy,  but  was  furnished  with  motive  power  sufficient 
to  move  it  either  uphill  or  down),  and  as  they  started,  the  fire 
in  the  furnace  was  lighted.  In  ten  minutes,  lacking  four  sec¬ 
onds,  sufficient  steam  was  raised  to  operate  the  engine.  It  was 
taken  down  Race  Street  to  Fourth,  and  along  Fourth  to  Broad¬ 
way.  Here  another  important  point  was  to  be  tested.  It  was 
thought  that,  owing  to  its  immense  weight  (twelve  tons)  it 
could  not  be  safely  taken  downhill.  As  the  machine  com- 


A.  B.  LATTA. 


197 


menced  descending,  the  excitement  was  intense,  nine-tenths  of 
those  present  expecting  to  see  it  become  unmanageable  and 
rush  down  the  hill ;  but  it  did  not.  The  force  of  the  engine  was 
thrown  on  and  off  the  hind-wheels,  now  checking,  now  letting 
free,  and  at  a  moderate  speed  it  descended  to  Second  and 
Broadway.  The  horses  were  detached  and  the  engine  put  in 
motion.  In  nineteen  minutes  it  had  been  hauled  eight  and 
one-half  squares,  and  was  throwing  water  from  the  cistern. 
Mr.  Latta  managed  the  engine,  and  Mr.  Bray,  the  city  fire- 
engineer,  superintended  the  hose  and  pipe  arrangements. 

Union  Fire  Company  No.  9  came,  by  invitation,  with  its 
superior  hand-engine,  the  Ocean ,  to  compete  with  the  steamer. 
Nine  hundred  feet  of  hose  was  laid  uphill  to  the  Nine’s  engine, 
and  the  steamer  supplied  the  Ocean  with  water  and  threw  three 
streams  through  inch  nozzles  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  feet. 
The  whole  power  of  the  steamer  Avas  then  put  into  one  stream 
and  an  inch-and-three-eighths  nozzle  attached  to  the  hose.  The 
most  experienced  firemen  Avere  put  upon  the  brakes  of  the  hand- 
engine.  They  A\rerc  confident  they  could  beat  the  intruder.  The 
signal  AA^as  gi\Ten,  and  the  steam  fire-engine  started  promptly. 
The  firemen  on  the  Ocean  bore  down  and  up  in  quick  succession, 
and  strained  every  nerve  as  they  saAv  their  stream  shooting  far 
ahead  of  the  steamer’s.  A  little  more  steam  Avas  put  on,  and 
farther  and  higher  the  steamer’s  stream  cast  the  solid  volume 
of  Avater.  The  Ocean  used  every  exertion  to  catch  up,  but  the 
steamer  never  tired ;  the  stream  Avent  higher  and  higher.  The 
hand-engine  put  up  her  brakes  and  hauled  off,  acknowledging 
defeat.  The  distance  from  the  end  of  the  nozzle  to  Avhere  the 
solid  body  of  Avater  fell  Avas  tAVO  hundred  and  tAventy-four  feet. 
It  took  two  stout  men  to  steady  and  direct  the  pipe.  The 
capacity  of  the  machine  to  keep  up  steam  Avas  then  satisfactorily 
tested  for  over  half  an  hour.  There  Avas  noAV  only  one  thing 
more  to  be  demonstrated.  It  raised  steam  quickly,  ran  Avell, 
threAV  Avater  promptly,  and  descended  a  hill  nicely  ;  but  could 


198 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


it  be  taken  up  a  steep  grade?  Many  were  the  predictions  that 
it  would  stall.  The  horses  were  hitched,  and  it  was  surprising 
to  see  with  what  ease  they  turned  the  machine  around.  Steam 
came  to  their  aid,  and  the  engine  sped  up  Broadway  at  a  rapid 
rate,  and  reached  its  station  in  double-quick  time.  As  it  went 
lip  the  hill,  cheer  after  cheer  arose.  It  was  a  grand  success, 
and  Mr.  Latta  felt  well  repaid  for  all  his  thought  and  labor. 
Soon  after  this,  he,  assisted  by  his  brother,  Edmiston,  began 
building  the  Citizens’  Gift ,  which  for  many  years  was  the  most 
renowned  and  powerful  steam  fire-engine  in  the  country. 

Miles  Greenwood  came  to  the  front,  and  for  two  years  de- 
voted  his  entire  time  and  energies  to  the  organization  of  the 
paid  fire  department  of  Cincinnati — the  first  of  the  kind  in  the 
United  States.  Mr.  Latta  subsequently  built  many  lighter  and 
more  improved  engines,  introducing  them  in  various  other  cities. 
He  finally  retired  from  the  fire-engine  business,  and  removed, 
with  his  family,  to  his  country  residence  in  Ludlow,  Ky.  He 
there  invented  several  improvements  in  oil-well  machinery,  and 
also  introduced  the  manufacture  of  aerated  bread  into  Cincinnati. 

Mr.  Latta  was  an  earnest  member  of  the  Central  Presbyterian 
Church  of  this  city  from  its  first  organization,  in  1844,  till  the 
time  of  his  death,  in  1865.  He  was  a  devoted  husband  and 
loving  father,  and  at  his  death  left  his  family  in  comfortable 
circumstances. 


DR.  JOHN  S.  LAW 

Was  born  in  Liberty  County,  Georgia,  March  21,  1800.  He 
united  with  the  Church  while  at  Yale  College,  at  the  age  of 
eighteen  years.  After  his  graduation  he  pursued  his  professional 
studies  in  the  old  University  of  Philadelphia,  at  Philadelphia. 
Pic  practiced  medicine  for  many  years  in  the  vicinity  of  Savan¬ 
nah,  Georgia,  and  gained  an  extended  and  successful  practice. 


DR.  JOHN  S.  LAW. 


199 


In  1847  his  attention  was  turned  to  the  North  as  his  future 

home.  He  made  an  extended  tour  of  observation  to  the  leading: 

© 

cities,  and  then  decided  to  make  Cincinnati  his  home.  He  re¬ 
moved  to  Cincinnati  in  the  Summer  of  1848. 

While  living  in  Georgia  he  identified  himself  with  the  Pres¬ 
byterian  Church,  and  took  a  deep  and  absorbing  interest  in  its 
prosperity,  planning,  counseling,  praying,  and  actively  laboring 
for  its  unity,  efficiency,  and  growth ;  and  thus  he  continued  to 
the  end  of  life  to  love,  live,  and  labor  for  the  Church  of  Christ. 
While  living  in  Georgia  he  was  chosen  ruling  elder,  and  served 
in  that  capacity  until  his  removal  North.  Upon  coming  to 
Cincinnati,  he  united  himself  with  the  Central  Presbyterian 
Church,  then  under  the  pastoral  care  of  Hr.  N.  L.  Rice.  After¬ 
ward  he  removed  to  the  Seventh  (Broadway)  Church,  under  Hr. 
N.  C.  Burt.  In  the  year  1862  Hr.  Law  secured  a  very  pleasant 
home  in  Loveland,  and  removed  there.  He  immediately  united 
with  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  was  chosen  a  ruling  elder  in 
it  in  August  of  that  year,  and  has  most  faithfully  and  untiringly 
served  in  that  capacity  up  to  his  death,  fourteen  and  a  half 
years.  Dr.  Laic  was  a  ruling  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  Church 
over  forty  years.  He  was  a  perfect  type  of  a  Christian  gentle¬ 
man.  He  was  very  much  devoted  to  the  spiritual  growth  and 
peace  of  the  Church,  was  very  attentive  to  the  poor,  the  sick, 
and  the  afflicted,  and  none  escaped  his  notice  or  the  warm  grasp 
of  his  hand. 

He  was  ever  faithfully  in  his  place  in  the  sanctuary,  and 
always  ready  to  take  a  part  in  the  praying  circle,  and,  when 
duty  called  him,  at  the  ecclesiastical  meetings  of  the  Church. 
He  bore  fully  his  part  in  supporting  the  Church,  and  cheerfully 
gave  of  his  substance  to  all  the  boards  of  benevolence  com¬ 
mended  by  the  General  Assembly  to  the  Churches.  He  was  a 
most  sincere  and  devoted  friend,  counselor,  and  helper  to  the 
pastor,  who  enjoyed  the  most  tender  and  intimate  association 
with  him. 


200 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


Dr.  Law  was  a  most  devoted  husband,  an  affectionate  and 
faithful  father,  and  a  consistent  and  earnest  Christian.  His  dear 
family  and  kindred  were  gathered  around  him  in  his  last  mo¬ 
ments,  heard  his  last  words,  received  his  last  loving  embrace 
and  his  tender  Christian  counsel,  and  saw  him  gently,  quietly, 
peacefully  fall  asleep  in  Jesus.  He  has  left  to  his  dear  wife 
and  five  sons  and  a  daughter  and  his  other  dear  kindred,  to  the 
Church,  the  pastor,  the  community,  and  his  acquaintances  in 
business  life,  the  grand  record  of  v  humble,  useful,  conscientious 
Christian  life,  and  a  life  of  unblemished  integrity  before  the 
world.  In  his  business  he  was  entirely  reliable,  honorable,  and 
successful. 

At  a  special  meeting  of  the  Session  of  the  Loveland  Pres¬ 
byterian  Church  the  following  minute  in  reference  to  the  decease 
of  Dr.  John  S.  Law,  a  ruling  elder  of  that  Church  for  fourteen 
and  a  half  years,  was  presented  and  unanimously  adopted: 

“  Whereas ,  in  ,the  providence  of  God,  who  doeth  all  things 
well,  our  beloved  associate  and  brother,  Dr.  John  S.  Law, 
whose  wise  counsel  and  ripe  judgment  in  spiritual  matters  have 
been  our  help  for  these  many  years,  has  been  suddenly  sum¬ 
moned  to  his  eternal  home,  and  to  leave  his  spiritual  watch  and 
service  with  us  here;  therefore, 

u  Resolved,  That  in  the  death  of  Dr.  Law  the  Presbvterian 
Church  of  Loveland,  Ohio,  is  very  deeply  afflicted;  that  the 
Church  Session  mourns  the  loss  of  a  kind,  wise,  and  faithful 
co-laborer  and  helper;  his  family  and  kindred  a  devoted  and 
faithful  companion  and  father;  and  the  community  an  upright 
and  true  Christian  citizen. 

“  Resolved,  That,  as  a  proper  token  of  our  great  esteem  for 
our  departed  brother,  his  consistent  and  earnest  Christian  life, 
and  his  kind,  faithful  service  to  the  Church  of  Christ  here,  this 
paper  be  placed  upon  the  records  of  Session. 

11  Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  these  proceedings  of  Session  be 
sent  by  our  clerk  to  the  bereaved  family,  with  the  assurance  of 
our  deepest  and  tenderest  Christian  sympathy  with  them  in  their 


DR.  JOHN  S.  LA  W. 


201 


great  bereavement ;  and  that  a  copy  be  furnished  our  Church 
paper,  the  Herald  and  Presbyter,  of  Cincinnati,  for  publication. 


“  Loveland,  January  21,  1877.” 

The  Chamber  of  Commerce  was  called  to  order  at  1  o’clock, 
January  15,  1877,  by  President  Eggleston,  and  the  following  on 
the  death  of  Dr.  John  S.  Law,  read  by  Mr.  Owen  Owens,  was 
unanimously  adopted  : 

“  Death  has  again  entered  our  circle,  and  taken  from  our 
midst  Dr.  John  S.  Law,  who  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  cent¬ 
ury  has  been  an  active  underwriter  in  our  city.  At  the  ripe 
age  of  nearly  fourscore  years  he  has  ended  his  labors  on  earth. 
By  the  death  of  Dr.  John  S.  Law  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
mourns  the  loss  of  one  who,  by  his  courteous  manner  and  moral 
integrity,  merited  and  received  the  respect  and  confidence  of  the 
public  and  his  fellow-members  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce. 

“  Resolved ,  That  we  sincerely  sympathize  with  the  family  of 
the  deceased  in  their  bereavement. 


“  Owen  Owens, 

“  George  W.  Jones, 

“  John  W.  Hartwell,  >  Committee. 
“  James  McKeehan, 

“  James  Morrison, 


“Cincinnati,  January  15,  1877.” 


The  Cincinnati  Board  of  LTnderwriters,  Saturday  afternoon, 
January  13,  1877,  held  a  meeting,  with  A.  Lawrence,  president, 
and  Maynard  French,  secretary,  to  take  action  on  the  death  of 
Dr.  John  S.  Law.  The  following  was  adopted : 

“  Whereas,  it  has  pleased  divine  providence  to  take  from  us 
our  worth v  and  estimable  fellow-member,  Dr.  John  S.  Law ; 
and,  while  we  bow  in  humble  submission  to  His  will,  we 

must  earnestly  express  deep  regret  at  our  loss,  and,  bearing  full 

14 


202 


ME  MO  R I  A  L  A  SSOCIA  TION. 


testimony  to  his  great  worth  and  many  estimable  qualities,  beg 
leave  to  express  to  his  family  our  sympathy  with  them ;  and  it  is 
“Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  these  proceedings  be  furnished  to 
the  family  and  spread  upon  the  Minutes  of  this  body. 

“  W.  B.  Cass  illy,  4 
“  Frederick  Roah,  V  Committee. 

“  Owen  Owens,  j 

“Cincinnati,  January  13,  1877.” 


FENTON  LAWSON. 

In  the  year  1816  there  arrived  in  this  city  from  Yorkshire, 
England,  with  his  family,  Mr.  Thomas  Lawson,  who  opened  a 
small  store  on  Main,  near  Fifth  Street,  the  business  being  that 
of  a  tinner  and  sheet-iron  worker.  The  place,  at  first  small  and 
unpretending,  was  in  time  to  develop  into  the  largest  business 
of  the  kind  in  the  city.  Thomas  Lawson  was  a  plain,  substan¬ 
tial,  good  man,  dividing  his  time  between  his  business  and  the 
care  of  his  family.  In  time,  business  having  increased,  and  his 
children  grown  to  manhood,  two  of  the  sons,  Fenton  and 
Thomas,  were  admitted  as  partners  in  the  firm,  but  the  latter 
did  not  long  continue,  and  the  firm  was  changed  to  Fenton 
Lawson,  at  the  time  of  the  death  of  the  father,  along  about  the 
year  1841. 

Fenton  Lawson  had  the  natural  elements  for  a  first-class 
merchant,  which  he  soon  became,  rapidly  extending  his  lines  of 
business,  so  as  to  include  every  thing  pertaining  to  the  tin,  cop¬ 
per,  and  sheet-iron  line.  It  was  this  house  that  commenced  the 
manufacture  of  the  beautiful  Russia  iron  grates  so  much  in 
vogue  here  about  a  half  a  century  since. 

In  addition  to  attending  to  his  very  large  business,  Mr. 
Lawson  was  enterprising  in  every  other  way.  He  had  made  a 
fortune  in  Cincinnati,  and  had  an  unwavering  faith  in  the  great 


FENTON  LAWSON 


203 


future  of  the  city.  He  was  one  of  the  strongest  advocates  of 
all  reasonable  public  improvements,  from  the  first,  being  one  of 
the  warmest  friends  of  the  proposed  railroad  to  connect  us  with 
the  South,  as  well  as  one  of  the  original,  substantial  friends  of 
the  Cincinnati,  Hamilton  and  Dayton  Railroad,  and  one  of  the 
incorporators  of  the  beautiful  suburb,  Glendale,  and  of  the  first 
to  give  support  to  the  project  of  securing  Spring  Grove  Cem¬ 
etery;  and  he  was  also  for  many  years  a  director  of  the  solid 
old  Lafayette  Bank.  Fenton  Lawson’s  greatest  usefulness,  out¬ 
side  of  his  career  as  an  honored  merchant,  was  in  his  many 
years’  services  in  connection  with  the  old  volunteer  fire  depart¬ 
ment,  in  its  palmiest  days,  when  it  was  made  up  of  the  very 
best  people  of  our  young  city.  He  was  for  many  years  the 
president  of  the  famous  “  Red  Rovers,”  the  members  of  which 
were,  almost  without  an  exception,  from  our  very  best  families. 
H  is  career  as  the  leader  of  the  u  Rovers  ”  gave  such  satisfaction, 
that  he  was  soon  elected  as  the  president  of  the  Firemen’s 
Association,  where  he  became  very  popular,  serving  in  the  posi¬ 
tion  without  pay  for  years;  and  when  he  gave  a  positive  refusal 
to  being  re-elected,  the  firemen  and  citizens  generally  prepared 
a  massive  service  of  solid  silver,  which  was  presented  to  Mr. 
Lawson  in  a  public  reception  and  parting  farewell  at  the  Melo- 
deon  Hall,  which  was  densely  packed  on  this  pleasant  occasion. 
The  speeches  were  extremely  expressive  of  the  regret  at  Mr. 
Lawson’s  retirement,  and  the  latter  feelingly  responded  to  the 
kind  sentiments  expressed,  closing  with  hoping  that  the  depart¬ 
ment  would  always  be  an  honor  to  the  city,  and  ever  ready  to 
protect  life  and  property. 

Some  time  afterward,  the  volunteer  department  having  fallen 
into  disrepute  in  consequence  of  the  disturbances  between  com¬ 
panies  caused  by  unworthy  members,  Fenton  Lawson  became 
one  of  the  most  urgent  friends  and  active  movers  for  the  estab- 
lisliing  of  a  paid  fire  department,  one  in  which  the  members 
would  be  held  to  a  strict  responsibility  for  their  conduct,  not 


204 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


only  at  fires  but  at  all  other  times:  and  to  Miles  Greenwood, 
Fenton  Lawson,  Jacob  Wykoff  Piatt,  B.  B.  Bray,  A.  B.  Latta, 
“Uncle”  Joe  Boss,  and  City  Marshal  Captain  James  L.  Ruffin 
are  we  chiefly  indebted  for  what  we  now  have,  the  best  fire 
department  in  the  world,  although  Mr.  Lawson  did  not  survive 
to  see  the  fruits  of  his  good  works,  as  ,his  death  took  place  in 
the  year  1853. 

Fenton  Lawson  was  an  extremely  plain  and  unobtrusive 
man,  finding  his  greatest  delight  in  the  bosom  of  his  own  fam¬ 
ily.  The  business,  which  was  founded  away  back  in  the  year 
1816  by  the  senior  Thomas  Lawson,  through  all  its  various 
changes  of  firms  has  never  been  without  the  family  name, 
“  Lawson,”  the  present  style  that  of  “  F.  H.  Lawson  &  Co,”  in 
which  is  a  grandson  and  great-grandson  of  Thomas  Lawson; 
and  while  the  establishment  is  the  oldest  in  direct  line  of  any 
in  Cincinnati,  another  remarkable  feature  is  that  it  has  always 
been  on  the  same  square — in  fact,  almost  the  same  spot — where 
it  was  originally  established  and  is  now  located. 

Mr.  Lawson  was  a  firm  believer  in  the  doctrines  of  the  “New 
Church,”  Swedenborgians,  and,  from  the  time  of  its  organiza¬ 
tion  here  till  the  time  of  his  death,  was  one  of  its  most  zealous 
and  highly  respected  members.  De  B. 


ANDREW  McALPIN. 

“Just  as  the  twig  is  bent,  the  tree’s  inclined,” 

Is  the  proverb ;  no  better  application  of  which  can  be  made  than 
by  comparing  the  sturdy,  honest,  prompt  dealing  of  our  early- 
time  merchants  and  manufacturers  to  the  twig,  and  the  present 
ratings  of  the  business  men  of  Cincinnati,  everywhere,  grading 
higher  for  an  equal  number  than  those  of  any  other  city  in  the 
Union,  to  the  tree.  We  have  cause  to  be  proud  of  the  great 
majority  of  citizens  who  have  been  in  business  here  during  the 


ANDREW  McALPIN. 


205 


last  sixty  years,  and  who,  by  their  honesty  and  ceaseless  industry 
have  made  Cincinnati  the  great  metropolis  it  is.  It  has  often 
been  said  that  they  were  too  slow  and  not  progressive  enough, 
but  never  once  that  they  were  not  as  a  class  honorable  and  just. 

Among  the  foremost  of  these  can  well  be  placed  the  one 
whose  name  heads  this  sketch,  who  was  in  business  here,  as  a 
manufacturer  and  merchant,  for  more  than  forty-five  years. 

Andrew  McAlpin  was  born  in  Glasgow,  Scotland,  in  the  year 
1793,  and  in  1795,  or  when  two  years  of  age,  came  with  his 
family  to  America,  settling  in  Philadelphia.  Growing  up  to 
manhood,  he  showed  his  devotion  to  his  adopted  country  by  vol¬ 
unteering  in  the  last  war  with  Great  Britain  (1812),  through 
which  lie  served,  in  due  time  receiving  a  soldiers’  land  warrant 
for  160  acres  of  Uncle  Sam’s  territory,  which  warrant  has  never 
been  located,  and  is  now  in  possession  of  his  son,  George  W. 
McAlpin,  an  heir-loom  money  can  not  buy. 

Philadelphia,  not  presenting  as  good  a  field  for  enterprise  as 
the  West  in  1817,  Mr.  McAlpin  came  to  Cincinnati  the  same 
year,  marrying  Miss  Margaret,  daughter  of  Esquire  Robert  Mer- 
rie,  formerly  of  Paisley,  Scotland.  The  couple  were  young,  full 
of  Scotch  pluck  and  stability,  and  started  in  the  world  together, 
resolved  to  be  help-mates  in  reality,  and  not  merely  in  name.  In 
those  days  it  was  no  disgrace  to  paddle  your  own  canoe,  and,  had 
it  been,  little  would  a  man  of  the  firm  character  and  independence 
of  Andrew  McAlpin  have  cared.  He  was  an  honest  man,  deter¬ 
mined  by  honest  toil  to  secure  an  honest  competence ;  and  in  this 
he  was  successful. 


Speaking  of  Esquire  Robert  Merric,  father  of  Mrs.  McAlpin, 
recalls  the  fact  that  it  was  he  who  purchased  the  Presbyte¬ 
rian  Cemetery,  now  Washington  Park,  corner  Race  and  Twelfth, 
for  that  congregation;  that  is,  he  acted  as  trustee  for  the  pur¬ 
pose,  and  the  deed  to  the  board  was  made  by  him. 

Shortly  after  marriage,  in  1817,  Mr.  McAlpin  commenced  the 
manufacture  of  furniture,  all  of  which  was  hand-work,  as  machin- 


206 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


ery  for  the  purpose  had  not  then  been  invented.  He  was  care- 
ful,  frugal,  and  prompt,  qualities  insuring  any  man  success, 
against  whom  the  tide  of  adversity  or  fate  is  not  rolling  too 
strong.  Thus  he  continued  year  after  year  increasing  his  facili¬ 
ties,  until  1848,  when  he  retired  from  the  manufacturing  depart¬ 
ment  ;  and  henceforward,  till  his  death  in  1863,  was  in  the  mer¬ 
cantile  branch,  dealing  in  cabinet  materials. 

Andrew  McAlpin  was  an  intensely  patriotic  American,  in  the 
broadest  sense,  and  when  our  unfortunate  civil  war  came  on  he 
could  not  forget  the  old  flag  under  which  he  had  fought  in  his 
earlier  manhood,  and  at  once  cast  his  influence  in  favor  of  the 
Union  cause;  and  from  the  commencement  of  the  unhappy  strug¬ 
gle  up  to  the  hour  of  his  death,  his  faith  in  the  ultimate  success 
of  the  national  cause  never  faltered. 

While  thus  loving  with  his  whole  heart  his  adopted  country, 
he  also  remembered  with  fondest  affection  the  rugged  land  of 
his  nativity,  and  was  for  years — in  fact,  as  long  as  he  would  ac¬ 
cept  the  position — the  president  of  the  Caledonian  Society  of  this 
city,  an  organization  made  up  of  the  McAlpins,  McCormacks, 
McGregors,  Gibsons,  Buchanans,  and  other  leading  prominent 
citizens. 

Mr.  McAlpin  had  no  taste  for  politics,  further  than  voting. 
The  only  office  he  could  ever  be  induced  to  accept  was  that  of 
trustee  of  his  ward  in  the  years  1834  and  1835,  and  he  was  even 
then  glad  when  his  term  had  expired. 

Though  at  all  times  the  embodiment  of  public  spirit,  always 
freely  contributing  to  every  praiseworthy  charity,  and  always 
active  in  every  thing  promising  to  develop  our  commercial  or 
manufacturing  resources,  Andrew  McAlpin  found  the  greatest 
happiness  and  congeniality  in  his  own  domestic  circle.  To  him, 
with  h  is  great  goodness  of  heart,  u  there  was  no  place  like  home.” 
As  a  husband,  he  was  devoted;  as  a  father,  indulgent. 

Unto  this  couple  were  born  ten  children,  five  of  whom  died 
in  infancy ;  the  other  five  being  Robert,  the  eldest,  deceased  in 


GENERAL  JOHN  McMAKIN. 


207 


1863;  James,  died  in  Texas  in  1858;  George  W.,  the  senior 
member  of  the  great  Fourth  Street  dry-goods  house  of  McAlpin, 
Polk  &  Co. ;  Henry,  captain  of  the  Sixth  Ohio  Infantry,  killed  at 
the  battle  of  Stone  River,  1863;  and  Wm.  McAlpin. 

De  B. 


GENERAL  JOHN  McMAKIN 

Was  born  in  Nottinghamshire,  England,  April  27,  1804.  His 
parents  emigrated  to  America  while  he  was  an  infant,  and  settled 
in  Virginia,  where  they  remained  until  1810,  when  they  came 

to  Cincinnati.  Here  the  family  has  ever  since  remained.  John 

* 

McMakin  was  married  in  1832  to  Rebecca  Beneful.  At  that 
time,  in  connection  with  his  father,  he  occupied  the  tavern  known 
as  the  Camp  Washington  House,  and  by  industry  and  frugality 
accumulated  considerable  money.  This  he  invested  in  real 
estate,  and  continued  to  do  so  through  his  life,  and  it  was  these 
investments  which  laid  the  foundation  of  his  fortune.  Soon 
after  his  marriage  he  went  to  Cumminsville  and  opened  a  dry- 
goods  store,  and  was  soon  after  elected  a  justice  of  the  peace. 

About  this  time  he  was  elected  brigadier-general  of  the  first 
brigade,  first  division  of  the  Ohio  militia,  which  position  he 
filled  for  twenty  years.  During  the  Mexican  War  he  took  an 
active  part  in  raising  troops  and  organizing  the  army.  He  was 
elected  to  the  Ohio  Legislature  in  1846-48,  and  was  re-elected 
at  the  expiration  of  his  term.  General  McMakin  was  president 
of  the  board  that  tried  M.  T.  Wade  on  charges  preferred  by 
Colonel  F.  A.  Churchill. 

After  serving  as  one  of  the  commissioners  of  Hamilton 
County,  in  conjunction  with  John  H.  Gerard,  John  N.  Ridgway, 
and  Michael  Goepper,  during  which  time  some  of  the  finest 
public  buildings  in  this  county  were  erected,  among  which  may 
be  mentioned  our  present  County  Jail  and  Longview  Lunatic 
Asylum,  at  the  expiration  of  his  term  of  office  he  retired  to 


208 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


private  life,  devoting  his  time  to  the  education  of  his  children 
and  attending  to  his  property. 

Ten  children  were  the  fruits  of  his  marriage,  three  of  whom 
died  in  infancy.  His  parents  were  Swedenborgians,  and  lived 
and  died  in  that  faith.  The  family  of  the  general  adhere  to  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  several  are  active  members. 

About  the  year  1844  General  McMakin  became  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  Order,  joining  Marion  Lodge,  No.  120.  He  was 
first  elected  Senior  Warden,  and  afterward  Master,  which  he 
filled  for  a  number  of  years — in  the  mean  time  the  name  of  the 
lodge  was  changed  from  Marion  to  McMakin  Lodge  (at  Mount 
Healthy,  Ohio).  He  then  joined  the  Loyal  Arch  Chapter  and 
Council  ;  and  becoming  more  and  more  pleased  with  the  Order, 
he  made  application  and  received  the  degree  of  Knight  Templar. 
About  the  year  1853  the  Ancient  and  Accepted  Scottish  Rite  was 
organized,  and  he  was  the  first  member  made  in  this  city.  In 
all  these  orders  he  held  his  membership  until  his  death. 

During  the  late  war  lie  was  chairman  of  the  Military  Com¬ 
mittee,  and  after  the  battle  of  Pittsburg  Landing,  he  made  two 
trips  for  the  purpose  of  looking  after  the  sick  and  wounded, 
and  succeeded  in  bringing  up  over  seven  hundred  of  the  un¬ 
fortunate  sufferers  from  the  battle-field  and  hospitals,  on  the 
steamboat  under  his  charge. 

While  residing  on  his  farm,  near  Harrison,  he  organized  the 
Whitewater  and  Miami  Valley  Pioneer  Association,  and  was  its 
first  president. 

His  life  was  active  and  useful,  and  in  his  later,  as  in  his 
whole  life,  he  commanded  the  respect  of  the  old,  who  knew  him 
in  his  youth,  and  the  later  generation,  who  regarded  him  as  a 
model  specimen  of  one  of  the  earlier  settlers. 

General  John  McMakin  died  at  his  house  in  Cumminsville, 
on  the  12th  day  of  June,  1879,  in  the  seventy-sixth  year  of  his 
age,  and  was  borne  to  his  last  resting-place  in  the  beautiful 
Spring  Grove  Cemetery,  on  June  15th,  and  the  thousands  of  his 


DANIEL  F.  MEADER. 


209 


friends,  from  all  parts  of  the  county,  who  followed  the  remains 
to  their  last  tresting-place,  speak  in  louder  praise  of  his  worth 
and  sorrow  at  his  death  than  words  can  express. 

“  His  life  was  gentle,  and  the  elements 
So  mixed  in  him  that  Nature  might  stand  up 
And  say  to  all  the  world,  ‘  This  was  a  man.’  ” 


DANIEL  F.  MEADER. 

It  has  been  said  that  “  truth  is  often  stranger  than  fiction,” 
which  aptly  applies  to  the  history  of  the  honored  man  whose 
name  heads  this  brief  historical  sketch.  As  Mr.  Header,  in  his 
own  quiet,  unassuming  way,  plodded  along,  carefully  watching 
and  attending  to  the  management  of  his  great  manufacturing 
business,  little  did  even  many  of  his  most  intimate  friends 
surmise  what  an  eventful  life  had  been  his. 

Daniel  Fitch  Header  was  born  in  Baltimore,  December  15, 
1801,  his  father  being  a  seafaring  man,  principally  engaged  in 
the  West  India  trade.  When  the  last  war  Avith  Britain  com¬ 
menced,  Daniel,  although  only  a  boy  of  ele\ren  years,  Avas 
aroused  to  the  highest  point  of  patriotism  on  hearing  the  mar¬ 
tial  music  in  the  streets  of  his  nathTe  city,  and  soon  enlisted  on 
board  the  privateer  Amelia ,  Captain  Adams,  as  a  powder-boy. 
He  afterward  served  in  a  similar  position  Avith  Captain  Kidd, 
a  good-hearted  old  bachelor,  who  Avas  so  much  pleased  with  the 
gallant  youth  that  he  took  him  home  to  Portsmouth,  Va.,  and 
sent  him  to  school  for  nine  months,  at  Avhich  time  he  receded 
about  all  the  education  he  e\rer  had.  Returning  to  the  sea,  he 
entered  the  Baltimore  and  London  trade;  but  soon  after  the 
ship  Avas  put  in  the  New  Orlean’s  trade,  and  there  then  (1817) 

being  anticipation  of  war  with  Spain,  he  enlisted  in  the  navy 

» 

for  a  year,  and  went  down  to  Pensacola,  Avhcre  General  Jackson 


210 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


was  stationed,  and  “  Old  Hickory/’  taking  a  liking  to  the  hand¬ 
some  young  sailor,  offered  to  secure  him  a  midshipman’s  com¬ 
mission  in  the  navy,  which  was  declined  with  many  evidences 
of  heart-felt  thanks,  as  Meader  had  determined  to  leave  the  sea. 

In  1824  he  came  to  Cincinnati  to  reside,  going  into  the  tail¬ 
oring  business  with  the  late  John  Justice.  In  1840  Mr.  Meader 
invested  the  savings  of  his  many  years’  labor  in  the  Newport 
Manufacturing  Company,  and  a  few  months  later  found  it  swept 
away.  Again  a  start  must  be  made,  and  his  next  venture  is  in 
the  river  trade,  his  principal  business  being  the  shipping  of 
produce  to  New  Orleans,  and,  in  partnership  with  the  late 
Robert  Buchanan,  purchasing  cotton  and  sending  it  to  Cincin¬ 
nati  and  other  markets.  Once  more  Mr.  Meader  found  him¬ 
self  in  comfortable  circumstances,  and  in  1846  began  the  manu¬ 
facture  of  furniture  with  Joseph  Walter,  only  recently  deceased, 
in  which  he  prospered ;  the  firm  thus  commenced  finally  assum¬ 
ing  the  name  of  the  Meader  Furniture  Company,  of  which 
extensive  concern,  Mr.  Joseph  F.  Meader,  a  son,  is  now 
president. 

While  always  an  active  advocate  of  every  movement  tending 
to  develop  our  resources,  and  outspoken  in  his  political  and 
other  views,  yet  Mr.  Meader  never  cared  for  office ;  about  the 
only  positions  he  would  ever  consent  to  occupy  being  those  of 
councilman  from  the  old  Fourth  Ward,  and,  in  later  years, 
alderman  of  the  Twenty-fourth  Ward.  When  the  papers  of 
October  30,  1877,  announced  the  death  of  Mr.  Meader  as  hav¬ 
ing  occurred  the  day  before,  there  was  a  wide-spread  expression 
of  regret,  all  feeling  that  we  could  not  afford  to  lose  one  who 
had  so  materially  aided  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  the  city. 

De  B. 


GEORGE  MENDENHALL ,  3/.  D. 


211 


GEORGE  MENDENHALL,  M.  D. 

“A  patriotic  man  has  passed  away “a  noble-hearted,  able, 
and  faithful  physician  is  no  more,”  were  the  universal  expres¬ 
sions  of  sorrow  and  regret  when  the  papers  of  June  5,  1874, 
announced  that  Dr.  George  Mendenhall  had  died  the  day  pre¬ 
vious.  All  classes  felt  that  a  public  loss  had  been  sustained — 
none  more  so  than  the  hundreds  of  families  who  had  learned  to 
lean  upon  him  when  sorely  tried  by  sickness  and  affliction. 

While  descended  from  a  most  excellent  and  substantial  fam¬ 
ily,  it  can  truly  be  said  that  Dr.  Mendenhall  was  a  self-made 
man,  starting  in  life  with  his  brains,  integrity,  and  industry  as 
his  only  capital. 

Dr.  Mendenhall  was  born  on  the  5th  of  May,  1814,  in  the 
beautiful  little  town  of  Sharon,  Beaver  County,  Pennsylvania  ; 
but  when  only  three  years  of  age  the  family  removed  to  Salem, 
Columbiana  County,  Ohio.  Here  the  boy  grew  up,  his  only 
chance  for  an  education  being  home  culture  and  the  private 
school  of  the  town ;  but  the  pupil  took  advantage  of  every 
opportunity  offered,  and  when  only  seventeen  years  of  age  he 
commenced  the  study  of  medicine  with  Dr.  Benjamin  Stanton, 
of  Salem. 

In  1833  young  Mendenhall  crossed  the  mountains  on  horse¬ 
back,  and,  arriving  at  Philadelphia,  matriculated  as  a  student  in 
the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  graduated  in  1835,  at  the  head  of  his  class,  when  not 
quite  twenty-one  years  of  age. 

Returning  to  Ohio,  the  young  doctor  opened  an  office  in 
Cleveland,  which  had  only  about  five  thousand  inhabitants. 
The  task  laid  out  was  a  difficult  one;  but  the  man  was  equal  to 
the  occasion,  and  soon  surmounted  all  obstacles. 

N  7 

After  spending  some  months  in  the  hospitals  of  Philadel¬ 
phia,  carefully  studying  the  nature  and  progress  of  diseases,  in 


212 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


the  month  of  October,  1838,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth 
S.  Maule,  of  Richmond,  Virginia,  and  at  once  returned  to  Cleve¬ 
land  and  renewed  his  practice. 

In  1843  Dr.  Mendenhall  removed  to  Cincinnati,  which  was 
afterwards  to  be  not  only  his  home,  but  also  the  scene  of  his 
greatest  triumphs  and  prosperity.  Here  it  may  be  said  that  he 
began  work  in  earnest,  commenced  real  life.  He  studied, 
thought,  wrote,  and  labored.  His  toil  was  incessant,  and  it  was 
not  long  before  he  •  enjoyed  one  of  the  largest  and  most  lucra¬ 
tive  practices  here.  Besides  publishing  the  standard  work, 
u  Mendenhall’s  Medical  Student’s  Vade  Mecum ,”  he  was  one  of 
the  editors  of  the  Medical  Observer ,  and  wrote  many  articles  for 
the  press  upon  the  passing  topics  of  the  hour.  When  Professor 
R.  D.  Mussev,  the  greatest  of  our  surgeons,  founded  the  Miami 
Medical  College,  with  a  faculty  of  extraordinary  ability,  to  Dr. 
Mendenhall  was  assigned  the  chair  of  Obstetrics  and  Diseases 
of  Women  and  Children,  which  he  retained  up  to  his  death, 
the  latter  part  of  the  time  being  the  dean  of  the  faculty,  having 
succeeded  to  the  place  at  the  death  of  Professor  Mussey. 

Having  achieved  the  highest  possible  honors,  that  of  being 
made  the  president  of  the  National  Medical  Association,  and 
secured  an  ample  fortune,  in  the  Fall  of  1872,  feeling  that 
rest  was  necessary,  Dr.  Mendenhall  visited  Europe,  everywhere 
being  received  by  the  profession  with  the  most  signal  respect, 
being  made  a  Fellow  of  the  Royal  Obstetrical  Society  of  Eng¬ 
land,  and  other  marks  of  distinction. 

Returning  home,  expecting  to  enjoy  quiet  repose  for  the  re¬ 
mainder  of  his  life,  Dr.  Mendenhall  was  suddenly  stricken  with 
paralysis,  from  which  he  suffered  up  to  the  time  of  his  death, 
June  4,  1874. 

In  the  sick-room  Dr.  Mendenhall  always  brought  sunshine ; 
his  very  presence  gave  assurance  and  hope,  if  hope  there  could 
be.  While  firm  in  having  his  orders  implicitly  obeyed,  yet  so 
quiet  were  his  words  that  it  was  a  pleasure  to  heed  his  advice. 


COLONEL  ROBERT  M.  MOORE. 


213 


During  the  civil  war,  Dr.  Mendenhall  immediately  and  un¬ 
falteringly  gave  his  whole  energy  to  the  Union  cause,  serving  as 
the  president  of  the  Cincinnati  Branch  of  the  United  States 
Sanitary  Commission,  while  his  most  excellent  wife  and  help¬ 
mate  tilled  a  similar  position  in  the  Ladies’  Soldiers’  Aid  Soci¬ 
ety,  both  of  which  societies  did  much  to  relieve  the  sick  and 
wounded  soldiers  of  both  armies. 

Professor  Mendenhall  left  a  widow  and  several  children, 
who  are  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  our  citizens,  proving 
themselves  to  be  worthy  children  of  an  illustrious  sire. 

De  B. 


COLONEL  ROBERT  M.  MOORE 

Was  born  near  Dunganon,  County  Tyrone,  Ireland,  on  the  29th 
of  October,  1816,  and  died  in  the  city  of  Cincinnati,  February 
23,  1880.  He  received  a  common  education  in  youth,  but  in 
later  years  gave  much  time  to  intellectual  improvement  by 
reading  such  works  as  stored  his  mind  with  practical  informa¬ 
tion.  He  came  to  America  with  Edward  Patterson,  to  whom 
he  had  been  apprenticed.  They  landed 'in  Canada,  where  they 
spent  a  year,  then  removed  to  Cincinnati.  He  soon  afterwards 
bought  his  apprentice  time  from  his  employer,  continuing  to 
work  at  his  trade  of  cabinet  making  for  some  time.  He  then 
formed  a  partnership  with  Robert  Mitchell,  and  they  established 
the  house  of  Mitchell,  Rammelsberg  &  Co.,  which  developed  the 
largest  and  most  successful  establishment  of  the  kind  in  the 
United  States.  From  this  partnership  lie  withdrew,  and  estab¬ 
lished  an  ominbus  line  from  the  old  Buekeve  House  at  Sedams- 

J 

vi lie  to  the  Dennison  House  on  Fifth  Street  east  of  Main  (now 
the  Arlington).  This  line  continued  running  until  it  was  super¬ 
seded  by  the  Sedamsville  Street  Railroad. 

On  the  breaking  out  of  the  Mexican  war  Colonel  Moore 


214 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


enlisted  in  Company  A,  First  Regiment  Ohio  Volunteers;  was 
elected  captain,  went  to  Mexico,  and  remained  with  his  company 
until  the  close  of  the  war,  except  a  brief  period,  when  he  was  at 
home  sick.  ( )n  his  return  home  the  members  of  his  company 
presented  him  with  a  beautiful  gold-mounted  sword,  as  a  testi¬ 
monial  for  his  bravery  and  kindness  to  his  command. 

At  the  breaking  out  of  the  late  civil  war  Colonel  Moore  again 

O  O 

enlisted  in  the  service  of  his  country  in  Company  I)  of  the  gallant 
Tenth  Regiment  Ohio  Volunteers;  and  was  again  elected  cap¬ 
tain.  He  was  sent  with  his  company  to  Gilmer  and  Braxton 
Counties,  Virginia— a  region  terribly  infested  with  guerrillas.  On 
leaving  there  lie  was  presented  with  complimentary  resolutions 
by  the  citizens,  expressive  of  their  high  appreciation  of  the  man¬ 
ner  in  which  he  performed  his  duty  as  a  soldier  and  commanding 
officer.  Colonel  Moore,  in  command  of  his  company,  participated 
with  his  regiment,  then  commanded  by  the  gallant  Lytle,  in  the 
battle  of  Perry ville,  Ky.,  where  he  was  severely  wounded  in 
the  leg  by  a  rifle-ball,  which  he  carried  through  life.  For  gal¬ 
lant  services  in  the  field  lie  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  major 
in  1802,  and,  in  1863,  to  that  of  lieutenant-colonel,  in  which 
capacity  he  served  until  the  close  of  the  war. 

After  his  return  home  lie  devoted  much  of  his  time  to  public 
matters  and  works  of  charity.  Ilis  labors  for  his  regiment  did 
not  cease  with  the  end  of  service  in  the  field;  for  he  soon  opened 
an  office  for  the  collection  of  claims  of  his  men  against  the  gov¬ 
ernment,  and  in  this  capacity  he  collected  and  turned  over  a 
quarter  of  a  million  dollars  to  those  to  whom  it  was  due,  with¬ 
out  a  cent  of  compensation  or  charge  for  his  services.  He  be¬ 
came  an  active  and  valuable  member  of  the  Horticultural  and 
Mine-growers’  Societies.  His  heart  ever  sympathizing  with  the 
poor  and  lonely,  he  conceived  the  idea  of  benefiting  the  “  Street 
Arabs”  as  the  “  newsboys”  were  derisively  called,  and  origi¬ 
nated  and  organized  a  “  Newsboys’  Union,”  which  soon  resulted 
in  great  good  to  them.  He  was  a  father  to  them,  looking  after 


COLONEL  ROBERT  M.  MOORE . 


215 


and  supplying  the  wants  of  this  hitherto  neglected  portion  of  our 
population.  And  many  prosperous  young  men  in  Cincinnati 
to-day  remember,  with  emotions  of  gratitude,  the  kindness,  en¬ 
couragement,  and  material  aid  they  received  from  Colonel  R.  M. 
Moore  in  the  dark  hours  of  their  lives. 

Colonel  Moore  held  at  different  times  responsible  positions 
of  honor  and  trust  both  in  the  city  and  State,  having  been  a 
councilman  from  the  Twenty -first  Ward,  and  a  staff  officer  of 
Governor  Salmon  P.  Chase,  whilst  governor  of  the  State. 

In  the  Spring  of  1877  he  was  the  Republican  candidate  for 
mayor  of  the  city,  and  was  elected,  being  complimented  by  sev¬ 
eral  thousand  more  votes  than  anv  candidate  on  the  ticket,  and 
during  his  administration  his  generous  and  noble  qualities  were 
constantly  shown  by  acts  of  charity  to  those  who  were  needy  and 
in  distress.  When  the  city  had  failed  to  provide  for  such,  lie 
supplied  the  necessary  aid  out  of  his  private  purse. 

He  married  the  daughter  of  Reese  E.  Price,  of  Price’s  Hill? 

on  the  -  18 — ,  and  by  his  marriage  came  into  possession 

of  a  large  interest  in  real  estate;  the  estate  of  Mr.  Price  being 
one  of  the  most  beautiful,  finest,  and  largest  on  the  western  hills. 
From  this  he  received  a  large  income  annually,  and  no  man  ever 
lived  who  was  more  generous  with  money  when  the  object  was 
worthy.  He  and  his  excellent  and  benevolent  lady — who  still 
survives  him — gave  large  sums  yearly  for  charitable  purposes,  and 
the  poor  ever  found  in  them  friends  indeed,  on  whom  they  could 
depend.  Not  in  all  this  great  city  can  there  be  found  any  one 
who  will  say  aught  against  the  generous,  patriotic,  noble-minded, 
and  unselfish  Colonel  R.  M.  Moore,  whose  life-time  was  spent  in 
doing  good  to  his  fellow-men  ;  and  when  he  died,  thousands  of 
hearts  were  bowed  down  in  sincere  sorrow  for  the  true  patriot, 
the  gallant  soldier,  the  “  newsboys’  ”  friend. 

Colonel  Moore  was  peculiar  in  the  dispensations  of  his  char¬ 
ities.  He  never  sought  notoriety  for  his  noble  deeds  in  this 
direction;  nor  did  he,  as  many  others,  give  only  to  those  from 


216 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


whom  he  might  in  the  future  receive  a  corresponding  benefit, 
but  rather  sought  out  the  lowly  and  those  who  appeared  to  be 
neglected  by  others.  To  such  he  was  truly  the  “  good  Samari¬ 
tan.”  The  only  question  he  asked  was,  were  they  really 
needy?  were  they  worthy?  If  so,  assistance  was  immediately 
rendered,  no  matter  what  their  position  in  life  might  have  been. 
They  were  fellow-beings,  made  in  the  image  of  their  Maker, 
and  as  such  he  recognized  them.  To  such  men  riches  are  a 
blessing,  and  they  will  be  remembered  as  true  philanthropists. 
Concerning  him  it  may  be  said  : 

“How  few  with  thee  inquire  the  wretched  out, 

And  court  the  offices  of  soft  humanity ; 

Like  thee  reserve  the  raiment  for  the  naked, 

Reach  out  their  bread  to  feed  the  crying  orphan, 

Or  mix  the  pitying  tear  with  those  that  weep. 

Think  not  the  good, 

The  gentle  deeds  of  mercy  thou  hast  done 
Shall  die,  forgotten  all :  the  poor,  the  pris’ner, 

The  fatherless,  the  friendless,  and  the  widow, 

Who  daily  own  the  bounty  of  thy  hand, 

Shall  cry  to  lieav’n  and  pull  a  blessing  on  thee.” 

The  veteran  soldier  and  sailor  had  no  better  friend  than 
Colonel  II.  M.  Moore.  He  was  at  all  times,  and  wherever  he 
might  be,  active  in  seeking  employment  for  those  who  desired 
it,  and  ever  ready  to  open  his  purse  for  the  aid  of  a  disabled  or 
sick  comrade,  and  for  the  relief  of  the  widows  and  orphans  of 
deceased  soldiers,  and  took  great  interest  in  the  establishment 
of  the  Soldiers’  and  Sailors’  Orphans’  Home,  at  Xenia;  and 
many  a  poor  orphan  yet  blesses  his  name  for  the  interest  he 
manifested  in  their  welfare,  by  caring  for  them  and  getting 
them  into  that  institution.  At  the  decoration  of  soldiers’  graves 
at  Spring  Grove  Cemetery,  a  few  years’  since,  he  secured  the 
attendance  of  a  large  number  of  the  orphans  from  the  Home  at 
Xenia,  providing  for  their  transportation  at  his  own  expense. 
After  the  exercises  were  concluded,  and  the  children  had  lunched 
bountifully,  he  formed  them  in  line,  when  he  made  a  brief  speech 


COLONEL  ROBERT  M.  MOORE. 


217 


of  encouragement  to  them,  and  then,  to  the  astonishment  of  the 
assembled  citizens,  placed  in  the  hand  of  each  orphan  a  gold 
dollar.  The  delight,  the  gratitude  expressed  on  each  of  those 
orphan  countenances  was  a  greater  return  and  •more  gratifying 
to  him  than  any  other  consideration  could  possibly  have  been ; 
and  as  was  remarked  by  a  lady  who  witnessed  this  beautiful 
act,  “  It  was  difficult  to  tell  who  was  the  most  pleased,  the 
orphans  or  the  colonel  himself.” 

He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Soldiers7  and  Sailors’ 
Memorial  Association  of  Hamilton  County,  in  which  he  took  a 
deep  interest,  and  was  its  first  and  second  commander. 

Resolutions  of  respect  were  passed  by  the  City  Council,  of 
which  he  had  been  a  member.  Also,  by  the  Horticultural  and 
Mine  Growers’  Associations.  The  “  newsboys  ”  also 
resolutions  of  love  and  gratitude  to  their  benefactor.  And  the 
.  Soldiers’  and  Sailors’  Memorial  Association  expressed  in  feeling 
resolutions  their  appreciation  of  him  as  a  brave  and  patriotic 
soldier  of  two  wars,  and  as  a  generous  comrade. 

At  his  funeral  thousands  turned  out  to  pay  a  last  sad  tribute 
of  respect  to  his  memory,  among  whom  were  the  Soldiers’  and 
Sailors’  Memorial  Association,  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic, 
four  regiments  National  Guards,  a  large  body  of  the  police, 
under  command  of  Colonel  Lewis  C.  Wilson,  and  nearly  everv 
“  newsboy  ”  and  boot-black  in  the  city,  the  whole  under  the 
direction  of  Colonel  A.  E.  Jones,  whom  the  family  had  requested 
to  take  charge  of  the  funeral  ceremonies.  His  remains  were 
buried  in  Spring  Grove  Cemetery,  where  annually  his  comrades 
strew  his  grave  with  sweet  flowers,  on  decoration  day,  as  a 
tribute  of  love  and  respect. 

“  How  sleep  the  brave  who  sink  to  rest, 

By  all  their  country’s  wishes  blest ! 

When  Spring,  with  dewy  fingers  cold, 

Returns  to  deck  their  hallowed  mold, 

She  there  shall  dress  a  sweeter  sod 
Than  fancy’s  feet  have  ever  trod.” 

15 


218 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


Many  a  quiet  tear  will  be  shed  by  the  meek  and  lowly  over 
the  srrave  of  the  benefactor  who  lived  more  for  them  than  for 
himself;  and  few  men  will  be  more  missed  from  the  busy  walks 
of  life  than  u  the  Newsboys’  Friend.” 


PETER  NEFF, 

One  of  the  most  distinguished  merchants  that  Cincinnati  ever 
possessed,  and  one  who  largely  contributed  to  the  commercial 
and  industrial  prosperity  of  the  place,  was  of  Swiss  descent,  his 
ancestors  having  emigrated  to  America  prior  to  the  Revolution¬ 
ary  War.  His  father,  also  named  Peter  Neff,  resided  at  Frank- 
ford,  Philadelphia  County,  Pennsylvania,  being,  at  that  early 
period,  five  miles  from  Philadelphia.  Here,  on  the  thirty-first 
day  of  March,  1798,  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  born.  His 
father  dying  when  Peter  was  quite  young,  the  management  of 
the  estate,  and  the  education  of  the  children,  devolved  upon  the 
mother,  who  performed  the  duty  with  unusual  ability  and  fidel¬ 
ity.  The  sons,  waiving  all  participation  in  the  property  left  by 
their  father  until  the  daughters  were  married,  chose  to  lay  the 
foundations  of  their  fortunes  for  themselves,  which  they  did 
with  remarkable  success. 

Armed  with  a  good  English  education,  Peter  Neff  soon  found 
a  place  in  Philadelphia,  where  he  acquired  the  business  expe¬ 
rience  which  was  so  valuable  to  him  in  after  life.  The  young 
clerk  was  soon  offered  a  copartnership  by  Mr.  Charles  Bird,  of 
Philadelphia,  who  desired  to  establish  a  branch  hardware  house 
in  Baltimore.  This  Mr.  Neff  accepted,  and  soon  found  himself 
at  the  head  of  a  large  and  prosperous  business. 

In  June,  1824,  accompanied  by  his  brother  William,  he 
visited  Cincinnati,  then  containing  only  a  few  thousand  inhab¬ 
itants.  This  visit  led  to  the  establishment  of  the  hardware 
house  of  Neff  &  Brothers,  composed  of  John  R.,  William,  Peter, 


PETER  NEFF. 


219 


and  George  W.  Neff.  William  and  George  were  immediately 
in  charge  at  Cincinnati,  John  remaining  at  Philadelphia,  while 
Peter  continued  at  Baltimore,  attending  specially  to  the  pur¬ 
chase  of  goods.  The  house  thus  founded  was  the  first  that  im¬ 
ported  hardware  west  of  the  Alleghanies.  In  1828  Peter  Neff 
established  a  branch  hardware  house  at  Louisville,  Kentucky, 
which  was  very  successful,  and  which,  some  ten  years  thereafter, 
was  consolidated  with  the  Cincinnati  establishment.  In  1835  he 
removed  to  Cincinnati  with  the  view  of  residing  there  perma¬ 
nently.  In  November,  1848,  the  firm,  which  in  the  mean  time 
had  undergone  some  changes,  was  dissolved ;  Peter  Neff  asso¬ 
ciating  with  himself  his  two  sons,  William  Howard  and  Peter 
Rudolph,  under  the  firm  name  of  Peter  Neff  &  Sons.  In  May, 
1871,  foreseeing  the  financial  consequences  of  the  shrinkage  in 
values  which  succeeded  the  inflation  of  the  war,  he  retired  from 
business,  after  more  than  a  half  century  of  active  participation 
in  mercantile  life.  He  had  commenced  buying  property  on  the 
western  highlands  as  early  as  1856.  To  these  possessions  he 
retired,  and  there  in  the  midst  of  the  families  of  the  two  sons,  of 
whom  he  was  the  recognized  patriarchal  head,  he  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  life  in  making  improvements,  and  extending 
his  estate. 

Mr.  Neff  was  married  in  1827,  at  Baltimore,  to  Miss  Isabella 
Lamson,  a  woman  of  rare  personal  charms  and  great  strength  of 
character.  After  seventeen  years  of  a  married  life  of  unusual 
beauty,  the  union  was  broken  by  the  death  of  the  wife,  inflicting 
a  loss  upon  Mr.  Neff  from  which  he  never  recovered.  He, 
throughout  his  life,  held  her  memory  in  grateful  and  beautiful 
remembrance.  They  had  four  children,  only  two  of  whom 
reached  adult  age.  The  latter  were  William  Howard  Neff  and 
Peter  Rudolph  Neff,  previously  mentioned.  At  the  time  of  Mr. 
Neff’s  death,  he  left  the  two  sons,  twelve  grandchildren,  and 
one  great-grandchild. 

Mr.  Neff  was  one  of  the  founders  of  Spring  Grove  Cemetery, 


220 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


the  death  of  his  wife  having  led  to  the  ealling  of  the  meeting, 
which  established  that  matchless  city  of  the  dead.  He  was  also 
one  of  the  moving  spirits  in  the  organization  of  the  Cincinnati 
Chamber  of  Commerce,  having  signed  the  call  for  the  meeting 
which  organized  the  chamber  and  been  one  of  the  vice-presidents 
of  the  first  three  boards  of  officers.  Although  the  last  years  of 
his  life  were  free  from  participation  in  the  active  business  of 
this  body,  he  took  the  most  lively  interest  in  it  to  the  time  of 
his  death. 

When  the  war  broke  out,  he  was  one  of  the  most  earnest 
and  enthusiastic  supporters  of  the  Union.  He  used  his  time 
and  means  freely  in  furthering  the  interests  of  the  government. 
He  was  chairman  of  the  finance  committee  of  Hamilton  Countv, 

-  •  V  ' 

and  the  immense  sums  raised  to  save  the  county  from  draft  were, 
in  a  great  degree,  due  to  his  masterly  management.  When,  in 
1862,  the  city  was  menaced  by  the  rebel  general  Kirby  Smith 
and  his  forces,  who  were  approaching  through  the  State  of  Ken¬ 
tucky,  he  was  one  of  the  most  indefatigable  citizens  in  making 
preparations  for  defense,  and  on  no  civilian  did  the  military 
authorities  lean  with  a  larger  confidence. 

He  became  a  member  of  the  Second  Presbyterian  Church 
of  Cincinnati  in  1837,  and  for  some  time  was  president  of  the 
board  of  trustees.  He  was  largely  instrumental  in  the  estab¬ 
lishment  of  the  Poplar  Street  Presbyterian  Church.  He  was 
keenly  alive  to  the  importance  of  the  educational  and  mission 
enterprises  of  the  Church,  and  in  him  the  Sabbath-school  had 
one  of  the  most  devoted  and  liberal  supporters  throughout  his 
whole  life.  He  was  at  one  time  one  of  the  most  active  friends 
of  the  movement  for  the  colonization  of  the  slaves,  having  been 
one  of  the  vice-presidents  of  the  American  Colonization  Society 
at  the  time  the  Hon.  J.  PI.  B.  Latrobe  was  president.  He  de¬ 
voted  his  time  and  means  liberally  to  the  promotion  of  move¬ 
ments  that  looked  to  the  education  of  public  sentiment  in  the 
cause  of  temperance. 


PETER  NEFF. 


221 


Though  holding  no  public  office,  and  steadily  declining 
every  thing  in  the  shape  of  official  political  position,  he  was 
one  of  the  closest  observers  of  public  affairs.  Few  men  of  any 
age  or  position  kept  so  well  posted  in  relation  to  public  mat¬ 
ters,  or  were  as  well  informed  on  all  questions,  whether  of 
national  or  local  interest.  A  man  of  large  executive  ability,  of 
great  sagacity,  of  unswerving  integrity,  and  of  unusual  intelli¬ 
gence,  he  would  have  honored  almost  any  position  in  the  gov¬ 
ernment.  Very  soon  after  the  fall  of  Sumter,  in  writing  to 
Secretary  Chase,  with  whom  he  was  on  familiar  terms,  after  say¬ 
ing  that  he  had  noticed  particularly  how  he  (the  secretary)  was 
raising  funds  for  the  support  of  the  army,  he  remarked  that  the 
banks  could  not  supply  the  wants  of  the  country,  and  would  fail 
him  in  his  greatest  need  ;  then  he  added  the  prophetic  words, 
“The  people  will  sustain  the  war  and  furnish  the  necessary 
means  to  do  so  ;  they  will  take  the  obligations  of  the  government , 
and  willingly  thus  provide  the  means .  The  best  manner  of  car¬ 
rying  this  out  will  require  good  judgment,  but  the  principle  is 
here,  and,  fairly  carried  out,  will  meet  all  your  wants.”  Whether 
Secretary  Chase  received  the  suggestion  of  the  greenback  system 
from  this  remarkable  letter  may  never  be  known,  but  that  it 
was  the  enunciation  of  the  same  idea,  which  afterward  became 
one  of  the  great  factors  in  the  solution  of  the  mightiest  problem 
of  the  war,  there  can  be  no  doubt. 

As  a  business  man  Mr.  Neff  was  eminently  successful,  not  from 
accident,  but  from  the  exercise  of  distinguished  qualities.  He  had 
great  faith  in  the  future  of  the  city  of  his  adoption.  With  the  eye 
of  a  prophet  he  read  the  mighty  progress  which  it  was  to  make. 
In  the  exercise  of  this  faith,  he  invested  largely  in  real  estate,  built 
many  houses,  some  of  them  being  the  best  of  their  time,  and  in 
every  way  showed  his  faith  by  his  works.  But,  distinguished  as 
he  Avas  in  other  fields,  it  Avas  in  his  home  life,  perhaps,  that  his 
extraordinary  qualities  shoAved  to  the  best  advantage.  The  home 
to  him,  next  to  the  Church,  Avas  the  great  institution.  He  made 


222 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


it  attractive.  He  caused  his  children,  whom  he  made  his  com¬ 
panions,  to  revere  it.  Here,  amid  the  benign  influence  of 
sacred  associations,  he  reared  his  children  and  his  grandchildren 
to  lives  of  usefulness  and  influence.  He  died  at  his  home  on 
Mount  Harrison,  at  four  o’clock,  on  Sunday  morning,  July  20, 
1879,  in  the  eighty-second  year  of  his  age,  surrounded  by  the 
family  that  he  loved  so  well,  honored  and  revered  by  all  who 
knew  him,  and  most  honored  and  revered  by  those  who  knew 
him  best.  Sidney  D.  Maxwell. 


GEORGE  W.  NEFF. 

The  decease  of  George  Graham  gave  our  citizens  an  opportunity 
for  holding  “  memorial  services  ”  over  departed  worth,  and  a 
similar  event  might  have  been  taken  advantage  of  in  1850, 
when  the  papers  of  the  city  announced  the  death  of  George  W. 
Neff,  who  had  long  been  one  of  the  most  trusted  leaders  in 
our  commercial  world,  his  enterprise  and  business  sagacity 
being  recognized  in  every  thing  tending  to  promote  the  future 
growth  of  Cincinnati  or  increase  the  comfort  and  welfare  of  its 
citizens. 

George  W.  Neff  belonged  to  one  of  the  oldest  and  most  re¬ 
spectable  families  of  Philadelphia,  where  he  was  born  May  19, 
1800,  receiving  a  good  practical  education,  and  graduating  at 
Princeton  with  the  highest  honors,  in  1818,  when  only  eighteen 
years  of  age,  and  afterward  received  a  thorough  training  in 
business.  He  then  studied  law  with  Plon.  Horace  Binney,  the 
Nestor  of  the  Philadelphia  bar,  in  his  first  case  having  as  an 
opposing  counsel  his  old  preceptor,  over  whom  he  gained  a  vic¬ 
tory.  Young  Neff,  appreciating  the  grander  chances  for  success 
in  the  then  Far  West,  came  to  Cincinnati  in  1824,  and  com¬ 
menced  a  mercantile  career,  which  was  soon  to  rank  him  among 
our  ablest  and  most  discreet  financiers — which  is  saying  much, 


GEORGE  W.  NEFF. 


223 


when  we  remember  that  Josiah  Lawrence,  Griffin  Taylor,  John 

Kilgonr,  John  C.  Culbertson,  R.  R.  Springer,  William  Barr,  and 

others  of  the  same  class  of  old-school  merchants  were  then  in 

* 

their  prime. 

George  W.  Neff  was  active  and  far-seeing.  His  business 
shrewdness  intuitively  taught  him  that  Cincinnati  was  admirably 
located  to  become  a  vast  metropolis ;  but  to  give  it  a  fair  chance 
to  outstrip  its  would-be  rivals,  it  must  have  canals,  turnpikes, 
railroads,  and  other  means  of  transportation  ;  and  at  once  Mr. 
Neff  successfully  put  into  operation  our  system  of  turnpikes, 
and  became  one  of  the  most  zealous  advocates  of  our  canal  and 
railroad  systems,  being  one  of  the  foremost  in  advocating  the 
construction  of  a  great  railroad  to  the  South.  He  was  the  first 
president  of  the  Little  Miami  Railroad,  and,  as  president  of 
Council,  secured  the  credit  of  the  city  in  aiding  that  road.  In 
those  days  we  had  no  paid  fire  department,  and  the  very  best 
citizens  were  volunteers  to  fight  the  fiery  elements,  and  of  all 
these  brave  men  none  were  more  gallant  than  George  W.  Neff, 
the  president  of  the  famous  “  Independent  Red  Rovers.” 

In  business  Mr.  Neff  was  quick  and  positive,  but  withal  ex¬ 
tremely  conservative;  and  it  was  this  careful  weighing  of  cause 
and  effect  which  caused  him  to  be  selected  as  the  president  of 
the  Lafayette  Bank,  and  the  first  president  of  the  Firemen’s  In¬ 
surance  Company,  a  corporation  which,  from  its  foundation,  has 
always  been  known  for  its  solidity,  and  which  during  its  entire 
career  of  a  half  century  has  only  had  three  presidents,  George 
W.  Neff,  Josiah  Lawrence,  and  Ex-mayor  Henry  E.  Spencer,  its 
present  head. 

Mr.  Neff  had  only  reached  the  zenith  of  his  manhood, 
although  he  had  done  so  much,  when,  August  9,  1850,  he  was 
laid  to  rest  in  Spring  Grove  Cemetery,  of  which  beautiful  “  City 
of  the  Dead  ”  he  was  one  of  the  founders. 

Mr.  Neff  was  married  to  Miss  Maria  White,  in  Philadelphia, 
October  1,  1827,  the  latter  being  the  daughter  of  Mr.  Ambrose 


224 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


White,  long  known  in  business  in  Philadelphia,  and  only  de¬ 
ceased  a  few  years  since,  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninety-four  years. 

Mrs.  Neff  was  a  lady  of  rare  grace  and  great  philanthropy; 
ardent  in  her  missions  of  charity  and  acts  of  mercy,  in  all 
things  a  helpmate  for  a  noble  husband,  whom  she  survived 
almost  twenty  years,  dying  June  16,  1871,  in  the  seventieth 
year  of  her  age,  she  having  been  born  December  19,  1802. 

General  George  W.  Neff,  one  of  the  gallant  officers  of  the 
nation  during  the  late  war, 'and  now  one  of  our  well-known 
business  men ;  Mrs.  Caroline  N.,  wife  of  the  late  Samuel  C. 
Humes;  and  the  late  Ambrose  W.  Neff,  were  children  of  this 
excellent  couple. 

The  late  venerable  and  respected  merchants,  William  and 
Peter  Neff,  were  brothers  of  George  W.  Neff,  both  of  whom  be¬ 
came  residents  of  this  city  a  few  years  after  the  latter  came  here. 

De  B. 


JACOB  NETTER— AMELIA  NETTER. 

While  its  admirable  location  was  a  great  factor  in  making 
Cincinnati  a  large  city,  a  far  greater  percentage  of  our  prosper¬ 
ity  can  be  justly  attributed  to  the  thrift,  perseverance,  and 
integrity  of  the  business  and  moral  life  of  the  men  and  women 
who  have  formed  the  character  of  the  place.  To  no  particular 
class  or  nationality  can  the  chief  praise  be  allotted,  but  all,  as  a 
whole,  have  accomplished  what  we  have  been  so  proud  of. 

From  all  quarters  of  the  globe  have  come  the  strangers 
desirous  of  making  this  their  future  home,  and  of  this  number 
was  Jacob  Netter,  who  was  born  in  Alsace,  then  a  part  of 
France,  during  the  days  of  the  great  Napoleon  (1814),  and 
came  to  Cincinnati  in  1833,  or  near  that  time,  when  a  young 
man.  The  dearest  ties  of  home  and  home  associations  had 
been  left  behind,  every  thing  sacred  given  up,  that  the  greater 


JACOB  NETTER— AMELIA  NETTER. 


225 


chances  for  success  and  fortune  the  new  world  presented  might 
be  enjoyed. 

It  was  the  old,  old  story — a  poor  young  man  in  a  strange 
country,  his  fortune  being  an  indomitable  will,  controlled  by 
the  one  great  incentive  to  action — the  achievement  of  honor- 
able  success  in  the  mercantile  world.  From  that  hour  America 
was  his  land,  and  he  knew  not  nor  acknowledged  any  other 
home. 

Believing  that  God  helps  those  who  help  themselves,  Jacob 
Netter,  on  arriving  in  Cincinnati,  went  right  to  work.  No 
labor  which  was  honest  did  he  refuse  to  perform ;  he  knew  that 
he  must  carve  out  his  own  fortune,  and  with  strong  hand  and 
stout  heart  he  commenced  his  task,  and  before  many  years  up 
sprang  the  great  firm  of  Kuhn,  Netter  &  Co.,  which,  for  a 
long  time,  was  one  of  the  strong  commercial  houses  of  the 
country.  » 

In  the  year  1845  Mr.  Netter  was  married  to  Miss  Amelia 
Kuhn,  which  union  was  to  be  of  the  happiest  character,  and 
destined  to  last  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century.  The 
wife  knew  that  the  husband  was  working  hard  for  success, 
and  with  cheerfulness  joined  in  the  great  battle,  always  being 
thankful  for  the  many  favors  they  received  in  return  for 
their  toil. 

This  era  of  happiness  was  brought  to  a  close  on  the  9th  of 
June,  1873,  by  the  death  of  the  estimable  wife,  who  died  while 
visiting  Europe.  The  blow  was  a  sad  one,  indeed,  to  that 
happy  family;  the  first  cloud  of  sorrow  had  darkened  the  hori¬ 
zon,  the  many  years  of  joy  had  been  clouded  by  the  death  of  the 
loving  wife  and  devoted  mother;  and  in  just  a  little  less  than 
two  years  afterwards,  on  February  5,  1875,  the  husband  and 
father,  Jacob  Netter,  also  crossed  over  the  dark  valley,  leaving 
behind  a  host  of  friends  and  relatives,  who  will  long  cherish 
the  exalted  virtues  and  quiet  charities  of  this  excellent  man 
and  wife. 


226 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


In  the  later  years  of  his  life,  having  accumulated  a  vast 
fortune,  Mr.  Netter  retired  from  mercantile  business,  and,  with 
Jacob  Seasongood,  opened  a  private  bank,  which  has  always 
been  considered  one  of  the  stanchest  and  wealthiest  of  our 
financial  institutions. 

It  can  well  be  said  of  Mr.  Netter  and  his  wife,  that  no  one 
ever  came  to  their  door  hungry,  and  they  fed  them  not;,  or 
naked,  and  they  did  not  clothe  them.  Their  very  natures  be¬ 
lieved  in  doing  good,  a  service  they  performed  in  their  own 
quiet  way,  and  for  which  they  are  now  receiving  their  rewards. 

Four  children  of  this  excellent  couple  survive — two  daugh¬ 
ters,  Mrs.  Charles  Mayer,  and  Mrs.  Adolph  J.  Seasongood ;  and 
two  sons,  Gabriel  and  Albert  Netter,  our  well-known  bankers. 

De  B. 


MASON  D.  PARKER 

Was  born  in  Clermont  County,  O.,  March  17,  1828.  His 
father,  Rev.  Daniel  Parker,  was  a  pioneer  in  that  county,  and  a 
preacher  of  note.  His  parents  were  well-educated  people  from 
New  England ;  hence,  his  advantages  were  good,  and  Mr.  Par¬ 
ker  permitted  none  of  them  to  pass  unimproved.  His  first  ex¬ 
perience  in  teaching  was  with  his  elder  brother  in  Clermont 
Academy,  which  was  founded  by  his  parents  on  their  own  farm, 
for  the  education  of  their  own  children  and  those  of  their 
neighbors. 

In  1849  he  came  to  Cincinnati,  and  was  employed  for  a  time 
as  book-keeper  in  a  wholesale  house,  when  he  was  prevailed  upon 
to  take  charge  of  the  school  in  the  House  of  Refuge.  He  en¬ 
tered  the  public  schools  in  1853,  and  remained  in  them  until  his 
death,  at  which  time  he  was  principal  of  the  Second  Intermedi¬ 
ate  School  on  Ninth  Street,  between  AAne  and  Race  Streets. 


t  / 


MASON  D.  PARKER. 


227 


He  possessed  great  executive  ability,  and  was  twice  appointed 
by  the  school  board  to  organize  the  schools  for  newly-made  dis¬ 
tricts  in  new  school  buildings — first,  on  the  corner  of  Elm  and 
Adams  Streets,  and  afterward  in  the  building  at  Freeman  and 
Poplar  Streets.  In  each  of  these  he  remained  a  year,  and,  after 
reducing  the  schools  to  systematic  working  order,  was  returned 
to  his  position  in  the  intermediate  school.  Mr.  Parker  was  in 
the  schools  at  a  time  when  they  were  in  a  transition  state,  and 
contributed  not  a  little,  by  his  energy  and  wisdom,  toward  es¬ 
tablishing  the  broad  basis  and  high  standard  of  excellence  for 
which  the  schools  of  our  city  are  now  known  throughout  the 
land.  He  was  one  of  the  most  successful  of  teachers,  and  be¬ 
loved  by  all  who  ever  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  being  his  pupils. 
He  was  eminently  social  in  his  nature  and  gentle  in  spirit.  His 
wit  and  humor  were  inexhaustible,  yet  without  bitterness  or  sar¬ 
casm,  and  made  him  the  life  of  a  circle  of  admiring  and  de¬ 
voted  friends. 

When  the  war  of  the  rebellion  broke  out  he  was  eager  to 
have  a  hand  in  maintaining  the  Union,  but  was  deterred  from 
enlisting  until  the  call  was  made  for  “  hundred-days  men,”  when 

O  J  / 

he  insisted  that  his  turn  had  come.  In  May,  1864,  he  went 
with  a  company,  composed  chiefly  of  teachers  and  students, 
under  Col.  S.  S.  Fisher,  who  was  president  of  the  city  school 
board.  They  formed  Company  E  of  the  One  Hundred  and 
Thirty -eighth  Regiment,  Ohio  National  Guard.  He  was  taken 
sick  at  the  mouth  of  the  Appomattox  River,  where  his  company 
was  engaged  in  the  transfer  of  ammunition  from  vessels  in  the 
James  River  to  the  front,  for  the  siege  of  Petersburg.  He  re¬ 
fused  to  go  into  hospital  and  receive  treatment,  saying  that  time 
was  too  short  and  precious  to  be  spent  in  being  sick.  He  rallied 
somewhat,  after  reaching  home  in  September,  and  resumed  his 
school  duties,  but  failed  during  the  Winter,  and  died  March 
29,  1865. 

Thus,  at  the  early  age  of  thirty-seven,  departed  one  who,  in 


228 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


these  few  years,  had  accomplished  more  of  usefulness  than  many 
do  in  a  long  life — the  genial  Christian  gentleman,  whom  none 
knew  but  to  love,  and  none  named  but  to  praise. 


GENERAL  AUGUSTUS  C.  PARRY. 

It  is  said  that  adversity  is  a  good  school  for  character ;  and 
true  it  is  that  in  the  lives  of  great  men  we  see  this  element  of 
struggle,  which  has  helped  to  make  them  great.  Lincoln  and 
others  are  examples  of  this  fact,  and  the  mass  of  our  good  citi¬ 
zenship,  those  who  form  the  sinews  of  the  republic,  are  these 
self-made  men,  who  have  risen  to  positions  of  prominence  and 
usefulness,  not  by  wealth  or  influence,  but  by  that  inherent 
quality  of  nobility  and  power.  Augustus  C.  Parry  was  one  of 
those  men  who  rose  by  this  true  quality  of  soul,  and  performed 
a  useful  part  for  his  country  and  his  city. 

Augustus  Commodore  Parry,  of  English  and  Welsh  parent¬ 
age,  was  born  on  the  site  of  the  Monmouth  battle-field,  in  New 
Jersey,  December  15,  1828.  His  parents  moved  to  Cincinnati 
when  he  was  but  a  child,  and  soon  after  he  was  left  an  orphan. 
His  guardian,  Dr.  Emmert,  apprenticed  him  to  A.  G.  Lotze,  to 
learn  the  trade  of  a  tinner,  in  which  business  he  afterward 
established  himself.  He  was  very  public-spirited,  and  at  an  early 
age  became  identified  with  the  interests  of  the  city,  taking  a 
responsible  part  in  his  duties  as  a  citizen.  At  that  time  the 
excellent  fire  department  of  which  Cincinnati  is  now  so  justly 
proud  did  not  exist,  but  her  safety  from  the  destructive  power 
rested  on  voluntary  helpers.  Augustus  Parry  was  captain  of 
the  No.  3\s  in  this  volunteer  fire  company,  and  many  a  time  ran 
with  the  “  boys”  to  the  fire  in  those  days,  when  help  and  means 
were  scarce,  and  when  only  the  brave  in  heart  lent  a  hand. 
Often  he  held  to  the  rope  that  pulled  the  engine  to  the  fire, 
and  as  he  boldly  plunged  into  the  thickest  of  the  flames  he  was 


GENERAL  AUGUSTUS  C.  PARRY. 


229 


often  severely  scorched.  We  quote  from  a  testimonial — a  pic¬ 
ture  of  the  fire — presented  to  him.  It  reads,  “  This  fire  took 
place  on  Fourth  Street,  between  Main  and  Sycamore,  on  the 
fourth  day  of  September,  1854,  on  which  occasion  Mr.  A.  C. 
Parry,  captain  of  Independence  Fire  Company,  No.  3,  was  se¬ 
verely  burned  about  his  arms,  head,  and  shoulders/’  A  silver 
cup,  presented  at  another  time,  tells  of  the  love  of  his  associates 
in  this  work.  He  was  also  overseer  of  the  poor  in  the  Fourth 
Ward,  then  a  very  poor  district  of  the  city,  and  he  was  a  friend 
to  those  in  need.  As  a  member  of  the  school  board,  he  helped 
to  introduce  German  in  the  schools. 

Thus  faithfully*  performing  his  duty  in  the  city,  he  would 
hardly  hesitate  when  his  country  called.  In  1861,  in  April, 
after  the  first  gun  was  fired  on  Sumter,  and  there  came  a  call 
for  men  to  rescue  the  country,  his  ardent  soul  caught  the  patri¬ 
otic  fire,  and,  leaving  business,  wife,  and  children,  he  nobly 
offered  himself  for  the  defense  of  his  country.  For  a  definite 
account  of  his  career  in  the  army  we  extract  from  “  Ohio  in 
the  War:” 

“  A.  C.  Parry  entered  service  April  16,  1861,  as  major  of  the 
Second  Ohio  Infantry,  and  was  at  once  ordered  to  Washington. 
At  the  battle  of  Bull  Bun  he  was  placed  in  command  of  his 

t 

regiment  early  in  the  action,  and  on  the  retreat  of  the  army  he 
repelled  the  attacks  of  the  enemy’s  cavalry.  On  the  30th  of 
July,  1861,  he  returned  to  Ohio,  and,  on  reaching  Cincinnati  in 
command  of  his  troops,  received  such  a  welcome  as  the  over¬ 
flowing  patriotism  of  the  people  prompted.  It  was  estimated 
that  one  hundred  thousand  people  took  part  in  the  reception 
exercises. 

“  In  August  he  was  commissioned  major  of  the  Forty -seventh 
Oh  io  Infantry,  many  of  whom  were  Cincinnati  men,  and  the 
regiment  was  called  the  ‘  Wilstach  regiment.’  He  was  in  the 
battle  of  Carnifax  Fer  ry,  and  in  minor  engagements  about  Cot¬ 
ton  and  Sewell  Mountains.  In  August,  1862,  he  was  promoted 


230 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIA  TICK 


to  lieutenant-colonel.  In  September  following  lie  was  sent  to 
dislodge  the  enemy  from  Cotton  Mountain,  and  to  relieve  the  gar¬ 
rison  at  Fayette  C.  H.,  Va.,  which  were  successfully  accomplished. 
The  troops  at  Fayette  C.  H.  were  enabled  to  join  the  main  body 
in  the  retreat  down  the  Kanawha.  During  this  retreat  Colonel 
Parry  had  charge  of  the  rear-guard  nearly  all  the  time,  and 
successfully  checked  the  advance  of  the  enemy  until  the  stores 
were  all  secured  or  burned.  At  Charleston  he  maintained  his 
position  in  the  front  line  for  six  hours  against  a  superior  force.” 

In  January,  1863,  he  was  promoted  to  colonel.  The  regi¬ 
ment  was  then  transferred  to  Vicksburg,  where  Colonel  Parry’s 
practical  abilities  were  of  much  benefit.  At  one  time,  having 
been  called  on  by  General  Stuart  for  a  plan  of  a  bridge  across  a 
break  in  a  levee,  he  submitted  one,  according  to  which  he  built 
a  bridge  in  fourteen  hours,  on  which  the  troops  crossed.  Dur¬ 
ing  the  advance  to  the  rear  of  Vicksburg  he  was  temporarily  in 
the  command  of  a  brigade,  in  the  absence  of  General  Ewing. 
In  the  assault  on  Vicksburg  he  took  a  prominent  part,  being  in 
the  advance  line.  In  the  Fall  of  1863  he  marched  with  his 
command  to  Chattanooga,  where  he  took  part  in  the  battle  of 
Mission  Ridge  and  in  the  pursuit  of  Bragg.  At  Larkinsville, 
Alabama,  Colonel  Parry  took  command  of  the  brigade,  and  sub¬ 
sequently  was  appointed  temporarily  to  the  command  of  the 
Second  Division,  Fifteenth  Army  Corps.  He  went  with  his 
regiment,  in  the  Atlanta  campaign  in  1864,  through  the 'battles 
of  Resaca,  Dallas,  and  Kencsaw  Mountain.  At  the  latter  place 
he  was  severely  wounded,  but  recovered  in  time  to  go  on  the 
March  to  the  Sea.  He  was  the  first  field  officer  ivho  entered 
the  enemy's  works  at  the  storming  of  Fort  McAllister  by  Gen¬ 
eral  Haze n’s  division.  He  was  breveted  brigadier-general,  to 
date  from  March  13,  1865. 

The  war  being  ended,  General  Parry  entered  into  work  in 
the  citv  of  Cincinnati  with  his  old  enthusiasm.  He  a^ain  went 
into  his  old  business,  but  kept  up  the  army  associations,  be- 


COLONEL  JOHN  RIDDLE. 


231 


longing  to  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  the  Soldiers 
and  Sailors’  Union,  of  which  he  was  the  president.  In  the  Fall 
of  1865  he  was  elected  treasurer  of  Hamilton  County,  on  the 
Republican  ticket.  A  year  later  he  entered  upon  his  duties, 
with  all  the  earnestness  of  his  spirit  ;  and  the  work  at  that  time, 
on  account  of  the  delinquent  taxes,  was  especially  heavy.  The 
exposure  and  trials  during  the  years  of  the  war  had  been  too 
severe,  and  had  undermined  his  constitution,  so  that  he  was  able 
to  perform  the  labors  of  his  office  but  a  short  time.  In  the 
same  year,  December  16,  1866,  he  died,  being  then  but  thirty- 
eight  years  and  one  day  old.  If  so  much  was  accomplished  in 
the  few  years  of  life  given  to  him,  what  might  have  been  ex¬ 
pected  in  the  full  maturity  of  his  power?  The  struggle  of  the 
country  in  the  civil  war  thus  robbed  the  country  of  brave  men 
before  their  prime — those  who  would  now  be  a  help  and  a  glory 
to  her.  While  we  sorrow  in  the  sacrifice,  we  honor  those  who 
performed  the  noble  part  of  the  patriot. 


COLONEL  JOHN  RIDDLE. 

To  say  that  Colonel  John  Riddle  was  an  early  pioneer  of  Cin¬ 
cinnati  will,  to  the  European,  and  even  the  Eastern,  reader,  but 
faintly  convey  an  idea  of  his  character  as  such  ;  because  at  this 
period  the  Eastern  States  are  grown  old  and  populous  and  their 
pioneers  have  passed  away ;  and  the  pioneer  of  European  nations, 
if  such  a  character  may  be  presumed  to  have  ever  existed,  is  for¬ 
gotten  in  the  history  of  centuries  of  civilization. 

The  English  lexicons  define  the  word  pioneer  as  a  soldier 
who  marches  in  front  to  clear  away  obstructions;  but,  in  our 
Western  vocabulary,  we  understand  the  word  to  mean  a  person 
who  not  only  clears  the  way  for  civilization,  but  one  who,  in 
doing  so,  lays  the  foundation  of  cities,  States,  and  nations. 

The  American  pioneer,  it  has  been  well  said,  was  “  a  com- 


232 


MEMORIAL  ASSOC IA  TION. 


pound  of  many  noble  qualities,  with  a  few  that  are  not  quite  so 
respectable.”  He  was  courageous,  independent,  self-reliant,  ad¬ 
venturous,  and  scrupulously  honest ;  and  by  this  standard  he 
judged  his  fellow-men  until  the  contrary  was  known  to  him. 
His  courage  was  necessarily  of  a  high  moral  as  well  as  physical 
order.  It  was  not  mere  indifference  to  danger ;  for,  whether 
floating  down  the  current  of  an  unknown  river  on  a  raft  con¬ 
taining  all  that  was  dearest  to  him  and  all  the  scanty  property 
he  owned  on  earth,  seeking  a  location,  or  whether  he  was  hunt¬ 
ing  game  for  himself  and  family  in  the  depths  of  the  forest, 
the  pioneer  realized  fully  and  at  all  times  the  full  extent  of  the 
peril  that  surrounded  him.  Indeed,  if  he  desired  it  he  could  not 
be  insensible  to  it ;  for  almost  every  day  “  brought  some  new  me¬ 
mento  of  his  savage  foe  or  of  the  prowling  beast  of  prey.”  He 
felled  trees,  burnt  his  fallow,  plowed,  sowed,  and  gathered, 
with  his  trusty  rifle  slung  over  his  shoulder  and  his  knife  on  his 
hip  ;  and  at  every  turn  he  halted,  listening,  with  his  ear  turned 
toward  his  cabin — listening  for  what  he  expected  to  hear  at  any 
moment — the  scream  of  his  wife  or  the  mournful  wail  of  his  chil¬ 
dren,  telling  of  the  murderous  tomahawk  and  scalping-knife. 
His  courage,  then,  was  not  the  result  of  ignorance — was  not  that 
of  u  the  child  which  thrusts  its  hand  within  the  lion’s  mouth, 
innocent  of  the  penalty  it  braves.”  He  had  an  attentive  ear  and 
a  watchful  eye,  and  his  nerves  were  always  strong  for  battle,  for 
self-preservation,  and  in  defense  of  his  dear  ones  and  his  fellow- 
adventurers  or  neighbors,  if  he  had  any.  Always  on  the  qui  vive, 
lie  had  to  be  calm  and  collected,  stout  of  heart  and  strong  of 
hand  ;  and  his  experiences  taught  him  sagacity  and  self-reliance. 
He  was  independent  in  the  truest  sense  of  the  word,  and  this 
feeling  was  based  on  a  well-grounded  estimate  of  his  own  talents 
and  capabilities — a  clear,  manly  understanding  of  his  own  indi¬ 
vidual  rights,  dignity,  and  relations.  It  was  the  early  pioneer 
“  who  laid  the  foundation  of  our  social  fabric,  and  it  is  his  spirit 
which  yet  pervades  our  people.” 


COLONEL  JOHN  RIDDLE. 


233 


Colonel  John  Riddle,  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  a  good 
type  of  this  character.  He  was  born  of  Scotch  parentage,  in 
New  Jersey,  and  emigrated  to  Ohio  in  the  month  of  October, 
1790,  twelve  years  before  that  State  was  admitted  into  the 
Union.  He  located  on  a  tract  of  land  about  one  mile  from  the 
Ohio  River,  on  what  is  now  a  part  of  the  site  of  the  city  of 
Cincinnati — a  city  boasting  of  a  population  of  nearly  three  hun¬ 
dred  thousand  inhabitants.  At  that  time  it  Avas  a  very  small 
village,  known  as  “  Losantiville,  in  the  territory  north-west  of 
the  Ohio  River,  opposite  the  point  where  the  Licking  River  dis¬ 
embogues  into  the  Ohio,’7  and  contained  a  population  of  forty 
or  fifty  souls.  The  territory  around  the  old  village  was  thickly 
timbered  with  heavy  oak,  walnut,  elm,  sycamore,  and,  indeed, 
all  the  hard  woods  indigenous  to  the  soil  where  forests  abound 
in  the  West. 

At  that  period,  and  for  fifteen  years  afterward,  the  Indians 
were  exceedingly  hostile  to  white  settlers ;  and,  in  addition  to 
braving  the  privations  and  hardships  of  frontier  life  usually  the 
lot  of  all  pioneers,  the  early  settlers  of  Ohio  had  to  encounter 
the  cunning  and  craft  of  the  merciless  red  man.  A  book  could 
be  filled  with  legends  and  stories  of  dangers  encountered  by  the 
early  settlers  at  and  around  Cincinnati,  of  the  rapacity  and 
cruelty  of  the  Indians,  of  bloody  fights  and  midnight  massacres, 
of  startling  and  hairbreadth  escapes;  but  I  will  submit  only  two, 
in  which  our  subject  took  an  active  part. 

In  the  Spring  of  1791,  on  the  21st  of  May,  Mr.  Riddle, 
William  Harris  (a  relative),  Joseph  Cutter,  and  Benjamin  Van 
Cleve,  were  out,  as  usual,  clearing  a  four-acre  lot,  about  where 
the  Cincinnati  Hospital  now  stands,  preparing  to  sow  wheat 
upon  it.  Van  Cleve,  as  was  his  custom,  came  without  his  rifle. 
Mr.  Riddle  had  frequently  remonstrated  with  him  about  this 
imprudence,  but  being  a  large,  powerful,  very  active,  and  fear¬ 
less  man,  his  reply  invariably  was  that  “  no  redskin’s  bullet 

could  catch  ”  him.  The  four  men  had  sat  down  at  the  roots  of 

16 


234 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


a  large  tree  to  rest  and  lunch  about  noonday.  While  thus 
engaged,  they  noticed  that  the  blue-jay  birds  were  unusually 
noisy,  and  hearing  a  slight  rustling  among  the  spice-wood 
bushes,  Mr.  Riddle  remarked  that  he  believed  some  Indians 
were  near.  They  laughed  at  him;  but  having  a  small  dog  with 
them,  it  was  hissed  on  in  the  direction  of  the  noise  and  bounded 
fiercely  into  the  bushes,  but  soon  returned,  manifesting  every 
canine  symptom  of  fear. 

Van  Cleve  at  once  started  for  the  corner  of  the  lot  by  a  path 
leading  to  Cincinnati,  and,  although  several  shots  were  fired  at 
him  by  the  Indians,  escaped  unhurt.  The  other  three  took  a 
circuitous  route  through  the  bushes,  each  as  he  thought  best. 
Cutter  was  captured,  carried  off,  and  was  never  afterwards  heard 
of.  A  moment  after  Riddle  had  struck  the  path  leading  to  the 
village,  he  remembered  that  he  had  left  behind  a  very  fine  four- 
gallon  keg.  Determined,  to  use  his  own  words,  “  not  to  let  the 
rascally  redskins”  have  that,  he  hastened  back  to  secure  it, 
thrusting  his  thumb  into  the  bunghole,  and  as  he  did  so  he  saw 
the  Indians  on  the  full  jump  toward  him ;  but  Mr.  Riddle  was 
young  and  fleet  of  foot,  and  reached  his  horse,  mounted,  and 
reached  Cincinnati  in  safety. 

On  the  1st  of  June,  following,  Riddle,  Harris,  and  Van 
Cleve,  while  working  near  the  same  place,  were  again  attacked 
by  Indians.  Van  Cleve  had  no  rifle.  Riddle  and  Harris  de¬ 
fended  him  and  themselves  as  best  they  could.  They  fought 
from  behind  trees,  and  killed  more  than  one  of  the  Indians;  but 
being  outnumbered,  and  Riddle  slightly  wounded,  all  three  took 
to  flight.  Van  Cleve,  being  very  fleet,  was,  when  more  than 
th  ree  hundred  yards  ahead  of  his  companions,  intercepted,  at  a 
fallen  tree-top,  by  a  savage  in  ambush,  and  stabbed.  The  In¬ 
dian,  seeing  the  white  men  approach  with  guns,  escaped  to  his 
party  in  the  rear.  Riddle  found  Van  Cleve  lifeless,  and  leaving 
him,  he  and  Harris  reached  the  village  safely,  closely  pursued 
by  the  Indians. 


COLONEL  JOHN  RIDDLE. 


235 


For  many  years,  during  the  early  history  of  Cincinnati,  the 
settlers  were  compelled  to  organize  for  self-defense  and  pro¬ 
tection,  to  work  together  or  near  each  other,  and,  indeed,  to 
worship  God  standing  under  arms,  “  for  the  Indians  were 
constantly  skulking  around  them,  murdering  the  settlers  and 
robbing  their  fields  and  stables.”  In  all  these  defensive  oper¬ 
ations  Mr.  Riddle  took  a  leading  part,  and  for  this  he  was 
well-fitted  by  his  experience  as  a  soldier  and  sailor  in  the 
Revolutionary  war. 

Mr.  Riddle  entered  the  Revolutionary  army  in  the  month 
'  of  April,  1778,  at  Elizabethtown,  New  Jersey,  under  Colonel, 
afterward  General,  Frelinghuysen,  in  Captain  William  Logan’s 
company,  with  whom  he  served  in  the  army  of  the  United 

States  nearly  four  years,  participating  in  nearly  all  the  battles 

♦ 

fought  during  that  period.  In  the  year  1782,  it  seems,  he  left 
the  army  to  go  into  the  privateering  service,  a  very  powerful 
and  useful  adjunct  of  the  army,  inasmuch  as  our  young  govern¬ 
ment  had  no  navy  ;  and  of  Mr.  Riddle’s  adventures  and  serv- 
ices  as  a  privateersman  I  will  let  himself  speak  from  an  old 
memoir  found  among  his  papers: 

u  After  I  left  the  army,  in  the  year  1782,  I  entered  the 
privateering  service,  under  Captain  Hiler,  a  good  seaman  and  a 
brave  and  patriotic  man,  and  sailed  from  New  Brunswick  on  a 
cruise,  hovering  along  the  coast  of  New  York  and  New  Jersey 
as  far  as  Cape  May.  The  first  vessel  we  captured  was  a  British 
war-sloop,  carrying  two  guns.  We  boarded  her  in  the  night 
without  loss  of  life,  destroyed  her  guns  and  ammunition,  and 
then  ransomed  her  for  four  hundred  dollars. 

“  Elated  with  our  success,  later  on  the  same  night  we  boarded 
and  captured  a  sixteen-gun  frigate,  ten  eighteen-pounders  and 
six  six-pounders,  in  the  midst  of  the  British  fleet,  and  after 
running  our  prize  past  their  guard-ships,  we  ran  her  aground 
on  a  sand-bar.  At  early  dawn  next  morning  we  took  out  of 
her  fifty  American  prisoners  of  war  and  liberated  them,  and 
made  her  crew  prisoners.  We  took  out  of  her  all  the  stores 


236 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


aiul  valuables  we  could  find,  including  a  large  amount  of  am¬ 
munition,  then  set  fire  to  her  magazine  and  blew  her  up.  She 
was  a  double-decker,  fitted  out  for  a  long  cruise  to  harass  and 
destroy  our  trading- vessels.  We  learned  from  the  prisoners 
that  one  hundred  men  were  to  have  been  added  to  her  crew  the 
day  after  we  captured  her. 

“  About  a  month  afterward  the  captain  and  fourteen  of  us, 
who  had  volunteered  our  services,  took  a  whale-boat,  sailed  up 
the  narrows  into  New  York  harbor,  then  occupied  by  the  Brit¬ 
ish  fleet,  boarded  a  British  trading-schooner,  and,  having  ran¬ 
somed  her  for  four  hundred  dollars,  returned  to  our  gun¬ 
boats  in  Sosbury  River,  without  any  injury  or  the  loss  of  a 
single  man. 

“In  turn,  we  were  frequently  attacked  by  the  enemy,  and 
had  some  desperate  hand-to-hand  conflicts;  and  while  on  such 
occasions  we  sometimes  lost  some  men,  none  of  our  crew  was 
ever  taken  prisoner. 

“We  had  two  skirmishes  on  shore,  on  Long  Island.  In  one 
of  these  conflicts  a  beloved  comrade  of  mine  fell  back  in  my 
arms,  mortally  wounded.  In  the  other,  we  captured  a  large 
quantity  of  dry-goods  and  clothing  belonging  to  the  British, 
the  whole  of  which  we  carried  away. 

“  On  one  occasion  Captain  Story,  who  commanded  a  privateer 
from  Woodbridge,  fell  in  with  us  in  Sosbury  River,  which  was  our 
rendezvous.  Captains  Hiler  and  Story,  ascending  the  heights, 
observed  four  vessels,  termed  London  traders,  at  a  distance, 
moored  close  to  the  highlands.  One  of  the  vessels,  however, 
was  an  armed  schooner,  carrying  eight  guns,  and  was  used  as  a 
guard-ship  to  protect  the  other  three.  Our  captains  determined 
on  their  capture,  and  we  attacked  them  within  a  short  distance 
of  the  British  fleet.  The  cannonading  was  very  severe  on  both 
sides,  but  after  a  hard  fight  the  armed  schooner  struck  her  col¬ 
ors,  and  we  captured  the  others  without  much  difficulty.  Then 
the  guard-ship  of  the  fleet  closed  on  us,  and  poured  her  shot 
into  us  like  hail — a  solid  shot  cutting  off  our  mast  just  above 
our  heads — but  at  last  we  succeeded  in  running  the  schooner  cap¬ 
tured  first  on  a  sand-bar,  where  we  burnt  her;  and  the  others 
we  bilged  and  wrecked  on  the  beach,  all  in  view  of  the  fleet. 


COLONEL  JOHN  RIDDLE. 


237 


“  A  short  time  afterward  two  good  men  and  myself,  with 
permission,  took  a  small  boat,  and  in  the  night  we  boarded  and 
took  a  craft  laden  with  calves,  poultry,  eggs,  butter,  etc.,  going 
to  the  British  fleet,  A  prize  of  this  kind  at  the  present  day 
would  be  considered  of  small  account,  but  at  that  time  it  was 
of  great  value  to  troops  who  were  almost  starving. 

“On  another  occasion  (I  can  not  fix  the  dates),  we  attacked 
a  large  sloop  and  two  schooners,  one  of  them  heavily  armed. 
They  gave  us  a  warm  reception.  After  a  running  fire  of  some 
duration,  we  closed  with  the  armed  schooner,  and  when  about 
to  board  her,  Captain  Hiler  cursed  the  British  captain,  and  tokl 
him  that  if  he  fired  another  gun  he  should  have  no  quarter; 
whereupon  the  British  captain  seized  a  match  from  one  of  his 
gunners,  and  directed  a  shot  himself,  which,  owing  to  the  roll 
of  the  sea,  did' no  execution.  We  then  boarded  her,  and  had  a 
desperate  hand-to-hand  conflict  for  several  minutes,  Captain 
Hiler  engaging  with  the  British  captain,  and  I  with  the  first 
officer.  Our  captain  was  soon  victorious,  and  the  British  cap¬ 
tain,  badly  wounded,  cried  for  quarters,  which  we  generously 
granted  him  and  all  his  men.  These  prizes  we  ran  into  a  cove 
on  the  Jersey  shore. 

“  A  few  days  after,  we  sailed  again,  and  soon  discovered  a 
sail  with  British  colors.  Our  captain  declared  we  must  have 
her,  and  after  an  exciting  chase  we  found  she  was  an  American 
prize  which  the  British  had  captured  off  the  capes  of  the  Dela¬ 
ware,  and  were  sending  her,  filled  with  American  prisoners,  to 
New  York,  then  occupied  by  the  British  troops  and  fleet.  We 
soon  boarded  and  recaptured  her,  threw  her  dead  overboard, 
put  the  crew  in  irons,  and  I  was  put  in  command  of  her  to  take 
her  to  a  place  of  safety.  In  the  evening  we  found  that  we  were 
pursued  by  a  sloop  of  war  and  two  privateers  which  had  been 
sent  from  the  fleet  to  take  us;  but  the  darkness  of  night  enabled 
us  to  escape  them,  and  we  ran  into  Shark  River,  where  we  re¬ 
leased  our  people  and  set  fire,  to  the  ship. 

“In  a  few  days  after,  we  dropped  out  again,  flying  British 
colors,  for  another  cruise;  but  not  finding  any  thing  along  the 
coast,  we  ran  into  Sandy  Hook,  alongside  the  British  fleet,  and 
passed  through  the  Narrows  about  sunset.  Here  we  spied  a 


238 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


craft  going  across  to  the  guard-ship,  in  pursuit  of  which  our 
captain  sent  the  whale-boat,  well  manned  and  armed;  but  per¬ 
ceiving  a  line  of  British  soldiers  marching  down  the  beach, 
evidently  intending  to  waylay  us  at  the  Narrows,  we  rowed  to 
shore,  and  landed  fifteen  men,  who  were  to  attack  in  rear — the 
enemy  having  in  the  mean  time  crossed  the  beach,  on  the  side 
we  lay  with  our  boat.  We  were  but  thirty  strong,  including  the 
fifteen  we  had  landed — the  enemy  about  seventy.  While  we  were 
looking  over  the  beach  for  them  from  our  boat,  they  came  sud¬ 
denly  around  a  point  within  pistol-shot  of  us.  They  opened  fire 
on  us  by  a  volley  from  a  platoon,  and  twelve  of  us  returned  the 
fire  with  muskets,  and  in  such  quick  succession  that  the  barrels 
began  to  burn  our  hands.  The  other  three  men  of  our  boat- 
party  managed  a  four-pounder  loaded  with  Icmgrage.  It  was 
growing  very  hot  on  us,  when  our  captain  cried,  “Boys,  land! 
land !  and  we  will  have  them  all and  instantly  the  four-pounder 
went  off,  and  we  raised  the  yell.  Our  fire  was  so  effective 
that  the  enemy  became  discomfited,  broke,  and  ran ;  and  the 
fifteen  men  we  had  landed  coming  up,  charged  on  them  from 
the  rear,  and  took  the  British  captain  and  nine  of  his  men 
prisoners. 

“  Captain  Hiler’s  privateer  was  a  terror  to  the  British  ship¬ 
ping,  because  she  was  considered  a  very  fast  sailer,  and  also  be¬ 
cause  the  captain’s  bravery  and  accurate  knowledge  of  the  coast 
enabled  him  to  thwart  all  their  efforts  to  capture  us.  On  one 
occasion  we  made  a  hairbreadth  escape  from  capture.  We  were 
chasing  and  fighting  with  a  large  British  gun-boat  between  Sandy 
Hook  and  Amboy.  In  the  chase  we  ran  in  between  a  galley 
and  an  enemy’s  brig  that  carried  an  eighteen  pounder  in  her 
bow.  The  gun-boat  had  struck  her  colors,  but  before  we  were 
able  to  board  her,  an  eighteen-pound  ball  passed  through  our 
ship,  which  obliged  us  to  make  the  best  of  our  way  to  the  Jer¬ 
sey  shore,  and,  getting  every  thing  out  of  any  value,  under  a 
continued  fire  of  cannon  and  small  arms  from  the  British  frigate, 
‘  The  Fair  American,’  which  lasted  until  nine  o’clock  at  night, 
we  left  her  to  the  British,  our  ammunition  being  all  spent,  so 
that  we  could  not  blow  her  up.” 

After  peace  he  returned  to  his  home  at  Elizabethtown,  New 


COLONEL  JOHN  RIDDLE. 


239 


Jersey,  where  he  followed  his  trade  (blacksmith)  until  the  year 
1790,  when  he  emigrated  to  Cincinnati. 

Although  quietly  pursuing  his  occupation  as  farmer  and 
blacksmith,  he  figured  in  all  the  volunteer  military  organizations 
of  the  settlement  for  its  defense  or  for  offensive  operations 
against  the  Indians.  He  was  commissioned  an  ensign  by  Gen¬ 
eral  St.  Clair,  and  was  afterward,  on  the  22d  of  August,  1797, 
promoted  to  lieutenant,  and  was  commissioned  as  such  by  AVin- 
throp  Sargent,  acting  governor  of  the  Territory.  On  the  13th 
of  May,  1804,  he  was  commissioned  captain  by  Edward  Tiffin, 
the  first  governor  of  the  State,  and  on  the  14th  of  December, 
1806,  he  was  commissioned  major  by  the  same  governor.  On 
the  17th  of  March,  1811,  he  was  elected  colonel  of  the  first  reg¬ 
iment  of  State  militia,  and  was  commissioned  as  such  by  Gov- 
ernor  Return  Jonathan  Meigs.  In  the  year  1805  he  commanded 
the  troops  at  Cincinnati  and  Columbia  during  the  Aaron  Burr 
excitement;  and  he  had  the  well-deserved  honor  of  commanding 
the  troops  at  Greenville,  Darke  County,  Ohio,  during  the  mak¬ 
ing  of  the  second  and  last  treaty  with  the  Indians — a  treaty 
which  secured  a  lasting  peace  to  the  people  of  Ohio,  Generals 
Harrison  and  Cass  being  the  United  States  commissioners  on 
the  occasion. 

Soon  after  the  close  of  the  war  of  1812  Colonel  Riddle  re¬ 
signed  his  commission,  and  thereafter  devoted  himself  to  his 
farm,  taking  but  little  part  in  public  affairs.  That  he  was  always 
passionately  fond  of  agricultural  pursuits  can  not  be  better  or 
more  briefly  shown  than  by  the  fact  that  he  planted  and  raised 
the  first  crop  of  wheat  and  the  first  apple  and  peach  orchard  be¬ 
tween  the  Big  and  Little  Miami  Rivers. 

In  the  year  1808  he  was  elected  a  commissioner  of  Hamilton 
County,  which  office  he  filled  acceptably  for  one  term  of  three 
years.  His  papers  show  that  for  many  years  he  held  the  offices 
of  trustee  and  treasurer  of  Millcreek  Township.  He  was  always 
an  actiye  friend  of  popular  education.  Long  before  he  died  he 


240 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


donated  a  valuable  lot  of  ground  upon  which  to  build  a  school- 
house,  and  then  subscribed  liberally  in  money  to  help  build  the 
house.  This  lot  and  house  is  now  a  part  of  our  present  eight¬ 
eenth  district  graded  school.  lie  was  one  of  the  original  sub¬ 
scribers  to  the  organization  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church 
of  Cincinnati,  of  which  Church  he  remained  a  member  until 
his  death. 

He  was  known  all  through  the  Miami  Valley  as  an  honest, 
patriotic,  and  public-spirited  citizen,  and  when  he  died,  full  of 
honors  as  well  as  of  years,  he  left  a  fair  fame  behind  him  of 
which  his  numerous  descendants  may  well  feel  proud.  His 
career  was  always  prosperous,  and  his  prosperity  the  result  of  his 
own  industry,  good  sense,  good  habits,  and  perseverance. 

On  the  17th  of  June,  1847,  in  the  eighty-seventh  year  of  his 
age,  he  died  very  suddenly  of  strangulated  hernia.  His  remains 
were  followed  to  the  grave  by  a  large  concourse  of  citizens  and 
soldiers,  including  the  old  pioneers  then  living,  and  he  was  in¬ 
terred  on  Sunday,  the  21st  of  June,  with  civil  and  military  hon¬ 
ors  in  his  family  grave-yard  on  his  farm,  from  which  place  his 
bones  have  since  been  removed  to  his  family  lot  in  the  beauti¬ 
ful  cemetery  of  Spring  Grove.  thomas  l.  young. 


JOSEPH  S.  ROSS. 

Owing  to  the  absence  of  the  family  from  the  city,  it  was  impos¬ 
sible  to  obtain  another  portrait  of  this  well-known  pioneer  than 
the  one  exhibited  at  Memorial  Hall,  but  in  accordance  with 
request,  we  send  brief  account  of  his  life  and  services.  He  was 
born  at  Brunswick,  New  Jersey,  March  5,  1803,  and  when  only 
three  years  old  was  brought  West  to  Cincinnati.  His  father 
settled  near  the  city  right  among  the  Indians.  Hence  the  early 
recollections  of  Mr.  Ross  clustered  around  the  old  lo^-cabin 
with  the  hard  dirt  floor  and  many  other  features  that  invariably 


JOSEPH  S.  ROSS. 


241 


connect  themselves  with  the  pioneer  life.  He  distinctly  remem¬ 
bered  the  Indians  coming  into  the  house,  throwing  the  deer  from 
their  shoulders  on  the  floor,  and  then  offering  them  to  his  father 
for  twenty-five  cents  each.  At  other  times  they  would  bring  a 
saddle  of  venison,  and  by  signs  make  it  known  that  they  wanted 
a  handful  of  salt  for  it. 

After  spending  fourteen  years  in  the  woods,  young  Ross  was 
bound  out  to  learn  the  carpentering  business  of  Jonathan  W. 
Lyon,  Cincinnati.  After  the  expiration  of  his  apprenticeship 
he  worked  one  year  as  a  journeyman,  and  then  married  a  Miss 
Rhoda  M.  Bradstreet,  of  Lebanon,  Ohio,  and  went  into  business 
on  his  own  account.  In  the  Fall  of  1828  he  had  the  misfor¬ 
tune  to  lose  his  shop,  fixtures,  tools,  etc.,  by  fire,  after  which  he 
resumed  his  business  with  good  success,  and  continued  it  till 
1832,  when  he  opened  a  feed-store  on  the  corner  of  Central 
Avenue  and  Seventh  Street.  During  this  year  he  was  elected 
to  the  city  council  from  the  Fifth  Ward,  and  soon  became  one 
of  the  most  active  and  efficient  members. 

In  1839  he  engaged  in  the  steamboating  business,  built  the 
steamboat  Relief,  and  traded  on  the  Red  River  four  years. 
During  the  third  season,  the  water  being  very  high,  he  navi¬ 
gated  the  Red  River  several  hundred  miles  farther  than  it  ever 
was  before  or  since.  For  fuel  they  burned  deserted  log-houses 
on  the  river  bank.  During  the  following  season,  while  proceed¬ 
ing  up  the  same  river,  with  a  large  cargo  of  his  own  and  gov¬ 
ernment  stores,  he  had  the  misfortune  to  sink  his  boat  on  a  snag, 
and  lost  every  thing.  Mr.  Ross  and  one  man  were  upon  an 
island  until  the  water  abated,  and  lived  upon  a  scaffold  resting 
upon  four  trees. 

Returning  to  Cincinnati  in  1844,  he  was  re-elected  to  the 
council,  and  followed  the  livery  stable  business  in  company  with 
Mr.  Benjamin  Higdon  at  the  south-west  corner  of  Eighth  Street 
and  Central  Avenue  for  seven  years.  During  this  time  the  city 
was  in  a  very  bad  condition,  and  especially  as  to  its  fire  depart- 


) 


242  MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 

ment,  being  at  times  completely  at  the  mercy  of  the  various 
volunteer  fire  brigades,  among  whom  the  most  disgraceful  riots 
frequently  occurred,  oftentimes  abandoning  a  fire  to  engage  in 
fighting  each  other!  There  had  been  many  unsuccessful  at¬ 
tempts  to  apply  steam  to  fire-engines,  but  on  account  of  the 
unlevel  positions  in  which  the  boilers  would  be  placed,  the  water 
would,  of  course,  be  at  times  all  at  one  end,  leaving  other  parts 
uncovered,  and  therefore  impracticable.  But  the  worms  or  coils 
of  pipe  used  in  distilleries  suggested  to  Uncle  Joe  Boss  the 
practicability  of  constructing  a  boiler  for  a  steam  fire-engine  on 
the  same  principle,  and  thereby  obviate  the  great  difficulty.  He 
was  chairman  of  the  committee  on  fire  department,  and  as  such 
urged  upon  council  to  authorize  him  to  contract  with  Latta, 
Shawk  &  Co.  for  a  steam  fire-engine  at  five  thousand  dollars. 
H  is  ideas  were  utilized,  and  the  result  to  the  world  is  steam 
fire-engines  everywhere.  He  was  therefore  the  “  father  of  the 
Cincinnati  Fire  Department”  as  it  now  exists.  The  cost  of  tlfe 
first  engine  was  found  to  be  eleven  thousand  dollars.  Mr.  Boss 
brought  out  the  complete  engine,  and  having  successfully  exhib¬ 
ited  its  workings,  the  delighted  people  insisted  on  naming  it  in 
his  honor,  “  The  Uncle  Joe  Boss,”  he  having  really  evolved  the 
idea  that  made  this  new  application  of  steam-power  a  complete 
success.  Mr.  Boss  was  re-elected  several  terms  in  the  council, 
and  at  all  times  proved  himself  the  people’s  friend. 

In  the  year  1860  he  organized  the  Miami  Valley  Fire  Insur¬ 
ance  Company  of  Cincinnati,  and  continued  as  its  president  for 
over  eleven  years,  until  his  retirement  from  the  active  duties  of  life, 
lie  was  among  the  first  members  of  the  Cincinnati  Pioneer  As¬ 
sociation,  whose  presiding  officer  he  was  one  term.  He  honor¬ 
ably  and  faithfully  fulfilled  a  score  of  important  trusts,  and  will 
be  long  remembered  among  those  who  have  left  their  “foot¬ 
prints  on  the  sands  of  time,”  and  through  whose  energies  the 
Cincinnati  of  the  present  owes  its  great  prosperity. 

While  in  the  council  Judge  Burnet  offered  to  sell  to  the 


JOSEPH  S.  ROSS . 


243 


city  for  government  purposes  the  whole  tract  of  land  bounded 
by  Central  Avenue,  Eighth,  Plum,  and  Court  Streets  for  $60,- 
000,  and  Mr.  Ross  labored  faithfully  to  pass  the  ordinance,  but 
through  one  member  changing  his  vote  it  was  lost  by  a  tie. 
Two  years  later  the  city  gave  the  same  price  for  less  than  one- 
quarter  of  the  same  land. 

The  through  thoroughfare  next  west  of  Plum  Street  was 
first  called  “  Lundy’s  Lane.”  On  this  lane  a  row  of  four  houses 
was  erected,  and  being  in  the  extreme  western  portion  of  the  city 
this  row  of  houses  soon  became  known  as  the  “  Western  Row,” 
and  in  this  way  the  name  of  the  houses  became  that  of  the 
lane,  and  “  Lundy’s  Lane  ”  became  “Western  Row.”  This  was 
long  known  as  the  western  boundary  of  the  city,  and  a  long 
way  out.  Being  in  New  York  on  city  business,  while  in  the 
council,  he  was  asked  where  he  lived,  and  on  saying  that  he 
lived  on  “Western  Row,”  his  friend  remarked,  with  surprise, 
that  he  would  not  live  so  far  out  of  the  city  if  he  were  given 
a  home  there.  The  first  motion  that  Mr.  Ross  made  to  coun¬ 
cil  on  his  return  was,  “  Mr.  President,  I  want  to  pass  an 
ordinance  to-night  that  will  not  cost  the  city  a  cent,  and  one 
that  every  body  will  be  pleased  with.”  It  was  to  the  effect 
that  the  name  of  “  Western  Row  ”  should  be  changed  to  “  Cen¬ 
tral  Avenue.”  It  became  a  law  that  night,  and,  astonishing  to 
say,  the  very  name  seemed  to  give  the  impression  that  the  city 
was  to  spread  westward.  From  that  time  the  increase  westward 
of  the  city  was  unparalleled  in  its  history. 

Mr.  Ross  was  candidate  for  the  mayoralty  of  the  city  in  1853, 
but  was  defeated,  owing  to  James  D.  Taylor  running  as  an  inde¬ 
pendent  candidate,  and  thus  electing  Mr.  Snelbaker. 

Mr.  Ross  was  pre-eminently  a  self-made  man,  full  of  tenacity 
and  energy  of  purpose,  versatile  talent,  and  unflinching  integ¬ 
rity.  Throughout  his  career,  marked  by  extraordinary  trans¬ 
itions  from  prosperity  to  adversity,  he  has  preserved  a  name  free 
from  the  charge  of  unprincipled  motive  or  selfish  purpose.  He 


244 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


was  a  man  of  fine  and  commanding  presence,  and  possessed  of 
those  genial  qualities  that  never  fail  to  make  hosts  of  friends. 
He  died  suddenly  of  cholera,  at  his  residence  near  Glendale, 
Ohio,  July  6,  1875,  universally  mourned  by  all  who  had 
known  him. 


MAJOR  WILLIAM  RUFFIN. 

The  defeats  of  Generals  Harmar  and  St.  Clair  by  the  Indians, 
in  1790  and  1791,  created  the  greatest  consternation  on  the 
Western  frontier,  and  the  feeling  became  quite  prevalent  that  it 
would  soon  become  necessary  to  abandon  the  settlements,  Cin- 
cinnati  included,  and  the  inhabitants  seek  homes  nearer  to  civ¬ 
ilization.  Just  when  the  despondency  was  the  greatest,  news  was 
received  that  President  Washington  had  appointed  General 
Anthony  Wayne,  of  Revolutionary  fame,  to  command  against 
the  savages,  and  immediately  afterwards  the  hardy  old  soldier, 
with  his  veterans,  pitched  their  camps  in  this  city.  A  rapid 
campaign  was  made,  and  the  savages,  defeated  everywhere,  gladly 
accepted  the  terms  offered  by  their  conqueror. 

With  the  army  of  Wayne  was  a  major  and  commissary  of 
subsistence,  William  Puffin,  who  was  so  pleased  with  the  ap¬ 
pearance  and  location  of  the  town  that,  after  peace  was  declared, 
he  retired  from  the  army,  settled  here,  and  was  for  many  years 
one  of  our  most  prominent  and  public-spirited  citizens.  The 
early  pioneers  were  men  of  iron  will  and  great  force  of  charac¬ 
ter.  They  were  nearly  all  ex-soldiers  of  the  Revolution,  or  the 
children  of  the  heroes,  and  as  such  had  been  educated  in  the 
best  of  all  schools,  that  of  rugged,  actual  experience.  As  soon 
as  he  arrived  here,  Major  Ruffin  at  once  built  a  log-cabin  on  the 
bank  of  Deer  Creek,  so  as  to  be  handy  to  Fort  Washington ; 
and  some  years  later,  or  not  long  after  peace  was  declared,  he 
erected  a  more  commodious  frame  house  on  the  river  bank,  near 


MAJOR  WILLIAM  RUFFIN. 


245 


the  foot  of  Lawrence  Street,  which  can  be  seen  in  all  the  early 
pictures  of  Cincinnati. 

While  the  entire  history  of  the  first  half-century  of  Cincin¬ 
nati  is  thickly  clotted  with  the  public  work  of  Major  Ruffin,  it 
appears  that  he  cared  more  for  the  general  good  than  he  did  for 
self,  and  there  is  no  evidence  that  he  ever  cared  greatly  about 
building  up  a  grand  fortune,  like  many  others  of  the  early  set¬ 
tlers.  It  was  not  because  he  did  not  have  the  chance  ;  for  he 
always-  was  called  to  the  front,  and  enjoyed  a  lucrative  income, 
from  which  he  could  easily  have  saved  enough  to  have  bou  ght 
hundreds  of  choice  town  lots,  as  they  could  in  those  days  have 
been  purchased  for  a  mere  song. 

When  the  Avar  of  1812  Avas  declared,  Major  Ruffin  Avas  ap¬ 
pointed  upon  the  staff  of  Major-general  Gano,  and  Avas  extremely 
zealous  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties.  Sheriff  of  Hamilton 
County  four  years ;  postmaster  of  the  city,  by  appointment  from 
President  Monroe,  for  eight  years ;  Indian  supply  agent  up  Red 
Ri  ver ;  a  long  time  city  clerk  under  Mayor  Isaac  G.  Burnet;  a 
presidential  elector  in  1825,  voting  for  Henry  Clay;  and  the 
notary  of  the  Branch  Bank  of  the  United  States  for  many 
years, — Major  Ruffin  led  a  life  of  the  greatest  activity  and  use¬ 
fulness,  securing  and  retaining  the  regard  of  the  community  to 
the  day  of  his  death. 

A  single  incident  in  the  life  of  Major  Ruffin  AVill  sIioav  Iioav 
his  sense  of  official  duty  OATercame  all  personal  considerations. 
He  AAras  sheriff  of  the  county  in  1826,  Avlien  Philip  LeAvis,  a  col¬ 
ored  man,  Avas  sentenced  to  be  hung  for  the  murder  of  Thomas 
Isdell.  The  major,  Avhile  firm  in  his  convictions  of  duty,  Avas 
nevertheless  as  tender-hearted  as  a  child,  and  the  thought  of 
injuring  another  caused  him  the  greatest  pain.  For  days  and 
nights  he  studied  over  the  matter,  at  times  almost  concluding  to 
resign  his  office  ;  but  then  he  had  SAVorn  to  enforce  the  laAV,  and 
his  Avord  of  honor  Avas  above  all  other  thoughts,  and  Avlien  the 
time  came  the  execution  took  place.  The  dread  laAV  Avas 


246 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION . 


supreme ;  but  the  major  for  months  afterwards  openly  expressed 
the  unlimited  grief  he  felt  in  being  forced  to  deprive  a  fellow- 
man  of  his  life. 

In  private  life  Major  Ruffin  was  a  most  excellent  man,  a 
Christian  gentleman,  an  active  member  of  the  Episcopal  Church, 
of  which,  with  Judge  Bellamy  Storer,  he  was  one  of  the  first 
vestrymen,  and  a  leading  spirit  in  every  charity  or  other  object 
having  in  view  the  bettering  of  the  condition  of  mankind. 

Major  Ruffin  was  born  at  Petersburg,  Virginia,  January  31, 
1774.  Pie  was  married  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Rue,  at  Hagerstown, 
Maryland,  about  1794,  and  died  in  this  city  in  1834. 

There  were  born  to  this  excellent  couple  eleven  children,  all 
of  whom  arrived  at  age.  One,  a  daughter,  was  the  wife  of 
Major  Oliver,  a  former  postmaster  of  this  city.  John  was  for 
nearly  thirty  years  connected  with  the  same  department,  while 
all  the  others  were  useful,  public-spirited  citizens.  Of  the  entire 
number  only  one  survives,  Captain  James  L.  Ruffin,  who  was 
connected  with  public  matters  here  for  many  years,  but  has  now 
entirely  retired  from  active  life,  and  lives  with  his  family  in  a 
beautiful  villa  at  Clifton.  De  B. 


GEORGE  HENRY  SHAFER 

t 

Was  born  in  Cincinnati,  December  24,  1836.  He  belonged  to 
the  firm  of  Shafer  &  Ziegler,  pork-packers.  His  integrity  and 
honesty  settles  upon  his  grave  a  monument  grander  than  any 
human  hands  can  rear — a  monument  of  a  good  name.  He  was 
generous  to  a  fault;  no  appeal  for  charity  was  ever  made  to  him 
in  vain.  He  died  June  17,  1880. 


SNA  FER— SHIELD. 


247 


HENRY  SHAFER 

Was  born  in  Carlisle,  Pennsylvania,  December  6,  1804,  and 
came  to  Cincinnati  in  1820.  He  was  one  of  the  pioneer  pork 
merchants.  Prudent  and  upright  in  all  his  business  transactions, 
he  is  remembered  with  respect  and  esteem  by  all  who  knew  him. 
Be  it  said  to  the  credit  of  his  memory,  that  throughout  all  his 
business  career  no  one  has  ever  justly  accused  him  of  taking  an 
unfair  advantage,  nor  of  cheating  any  one  out  of  a  dollar.  He 
died  in  Cincinnati,  March  6,  1867. 


REBECCA  SHAFER, 

Wife  of  Henry  Shafer,  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania, 
January  27,  1808;  came  to  Cincinnati,  with  her  parents,  in  June, 
1816.  They  were  six  weeks  in  coming  in  a  wagon,  there  being 
no  steamboats,  canals,  no  railroads  then.  She  died  in  Cincinnati, 
October  31,  1875. 


FRANCIS  SHIELD 

Was  born  at  Chester,  England,  2d  of  May,  1783,  and  came  to 
Cincinnati  in  1819.  He  was  a  machinist  by  trade,  and  known 
as  a  skilled  workman,  acting  as  foreman  for  William  Green  & 
Co.  He  afterward  carried  on  a  shop  on  the  site  of  the  Old  Pike 
Distillery,  on  Sycamore  Street,  and  at  another  time  his  estab¬ 
lishment  was  located  where  at  present  stands  the  auction-house 
of  James  H.  Laws  &  Co.,  on  Second  Street. 

Francis  Shield  spent  many  years  of  his  life  in  perfecting  in¬ 
ventions.  He  invented  the  first  steam-carriages  ever  seen  in 
America.  He  built  two  of  these  machines — one  he  took  to 


248 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


Baltimore  and  disposed  of,  and  the  other  was  sold  in  New  Or¬ 
leans,  and  afterward  fitted  with  flanged-wheels  and  used  on  the 
Ponchartrain  Railroad.  Francis  Shield  died  on  the  lltli  of  No¬ 
vember,  1840.  His  remains  rest  under  a  beautiful  monument 
in  Spring  Grove  Cemetery,  erected  to  his  memory  by  his  sons, 
Edward  M.,  and  George  Shield.  The  following  is  a  description 
of  his  locomotive  engine,  copied  from  the  press  of  the  day : 

[May  20,  iSyo.~\ 

“  LOCOMOTIVE  ENGINES. 

“  Those  persons  desirous  of  witnessing  a  locomotive  engine 
in  operation  upon  a  railway,  will  do  well  to  visit  the  Amphi¬ 
theater  on  Sycamore  Street  (site  of  old  National  Theater),  where 
there  is  now  one  running.  This  engine  was  built  in  this  city, 
by  Francis  Shield,  one  of  our  most  ingenious  mechanics,  and  is 
a  beautiful  specimen  of  workmanship.  It  propels  the  car,  which 
carries  a  dozen  persons,  at  the  rate  of  from  seven  to  ten  miles 
per  hour.” 

/ 

[ Cincinnati  Advertiser  ami  Ohio  Phoenix,  July  ji, 

“  The  Messrs.  Shield  of  this  place,  who  some  time  since  in¬ 
vented  and  built  for  Mr.  Grover,  of  Lexington,  Kentucky,  a 
locomotive  engine,  called  the  Western  Star ,  have  made  some  very 
ingenious  and  important  improvements  on  that  plan,  which  can 
be  seen  exemplified  in  the  Cincinnati ,  a  new  railroad  engine  and 
car,  which  they  have  recently  constructed,  and  which  now  is 
exhibiting  at  the  Amphitheater  in  this  city.  We  are  assured 
that  the  engine  is  capable  of  overcoming  an  elevation  of  eighty 
or  ninety  feet  in  the  mile  with  the  greatest  ease,  very  little  dif- 
ference  being  perceptible  between  the  level  and  the  above-men¬ 
tioned  elevation,  as  to  speed.  The  principal  improvements  in 
the  engine  consist  of  compactness  and  the  application  of  power 
direct  to  the  carriage,  while  the  arrangement  of  the  boiler  is 
supposed  to  present  a  greater  surface  of  water  to  the  action  of 
caloric  than  any  other  boiler  heretofore  constructed  for  a  like 
purpose,  consequently  a  greater  quantity  of  steam  must  be  gen¬ 
erated  in  a  given  time  from  the  same  quantity  of  fuel. 

“  The  boiler  itself  is  unique,  and  can  not  fail  to  interest  the 


MARIA  SHIELD. 


249 


scientific  and  learned.  The  movement  of  the  machine  on  the 
railway  is  admirable,  and  we  should  suppose  that  the  engine, 
with  the  car  attached  carrying  four  persons,  would  perform  the 
distance  of  from  eight  to  sixteen  miles  per  hour,  at  pleasure  ; 
and  we  have  been  assured  by  competent  judges  that  when  placed 
on  a  straight  and  level  rail,  it  would  perform  with  ease  thirty 
miles  an  hour,  carrying  from  four  to  eight  persons.  The  work¬ 
manship  of  the  whole  is  admirably  finished,  and  is  very  cred¬ 
itable  to  Mr.  Shield  and  the  very  ingenious  young  mechanic, 
his  son.  We  understand  that  Mr.  Shield  intends  very  shortly 
to  visit  Baltimore  and  the  Eastern  cities  with  his  improvement, 
so  that  the  machine  will  remain  here  but  a  short  time,  and 
we  can  not  but  recommend  an  early  and  general  attendance 
at  the  Amphitheater  to  witness  this  very  fine  specimen  of  the 
mechanical  arts.” 

Francis  Shield  also  built  a  printing-press  for  General  Jacob 
and  Commodore  Ammen’s  father,  who  established  one  of  the 
earliest  newspapers  in  the  State  of  Ohio,  at  Ripley. 


MARIA  SHIELD, 

Consort  of  Francis  Shield,  and  mother  of  George  and  Edward 
M.  Shield,  was  born  in  New  York  City  on  the  7th  day  of  May, 
1792.  She  came  with  her  husband  and  family  to  Cincinnati  in 
1819.  A  woman  of  more  than  ordinary  energy,  she  raised  a 
large  family  and  lived  to  see  them  settled  in  life.  She  lived  to 
see  three  generations  of  her  descendants.  Mrs.  Shield  was,  in 
fact,  a  remarkable  woman.  During  her  long  life  she  was  contin¬ 
ually  employed  at  some  worthy  industry;  and  even  in  her  old 
age,  when  she  visited  friends,  her  work-basket  invariably  accom¬ 
panied  her.  Her  needle-work  was  simply  wonderful  for  one  of 
her  age,  and  would  put  to  the  blush  the  handiwork  of  many  of 
the  young  women  of  the  day.  She  passed  quietly  away  on  the 

16th  day  of  May,  1871,  aged  77  years. 

17 


250 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIA  TION. 


EDWARD  MOORE  SHIELD 

Was  born  at  Christeen  Mills,  Delaware,  July  13,  1814,  and 
came  to  Cincinnati  with  his  father,  Francis  Shield,  in  1819.  He 
was  brought  up  to  the  steam-engine  business,  having  learned 
his  trade  with  Drennan  &  Graham,  whose  shop  was  located  at 
the  south-west  corner  of  Broadway  and  Fifth  Street.  He  was 
a  first  engineer  on  the  river  before  he  reached  his  majority,  and 
shortly  afterward  acted  as  foreman  for  Graham  &  Shield,  and 
their  successors,  Yeatman  &  Shield,  where  he  was  known  as  the 
boy  foreman,  on  account  of  his  youth.  He  embarked  in  business 
for  himself  on  Front  Street  in  1851,  his  establishment  being 
known  as  the  Fulton  Foundry.  Here  for  a  period  of  ten  years 
he  fitted  up  large  quantities  of  fine  machinery  that  was  distrib¬ 
uted  over  the  various  States  and  Territories.  He  retired  from 
active  business,  so  far  as  the  carrying  on  of  his  shop  was  con¬ 
cerned,  in  1861.  His  successors,  however,  called  the  shop  in 
his  honor  the  “  Shield  Works.” 

At  the  beginning  of  the  war,  when  every  thing  was  lying  idle, 
Mr.  Shield  visited  Washington,  and  through  the  influence  of  his 
friend,  Secretary  Salmon  P.  Chase,  obtained  for  the  Cincinnati 
mechanics  a  big  contract  for  fitting  out  mortar-carriages.  The 
work  he  distributed  among  all  the  shops  in  old  “  Flat  Iron,” 
as  the  Third  Ward  has  been  called  from  time  immemorial.  In 
1862  Mr.  Shield  fitted  out  four  ram-boats  for  the  United  States 
Government,  namely  :  the  Lancaster ,  Queen  of  the  West ,  Switz¬ 
erland ,  and  Monarch . 

Later  he  was  appointed  supervising  inspector  of  steamboats 
for  the  Seventh  District,  a  position  he  filled  with  honor.  In 
early  days  he  belonged  to  the  volunteer  fire  department,  and 
was  also  a  member  of  the  noted  Thespian  Society,  that  played 
in  1824.  He  was  the  originator  of  the  Mount  Adams  Incline 
Plane,  in  which,  at  one  time,  he  had  a  large  amount  of  capital 


GEORGE  SHIELD. 


251 


invested.  He  was  the  inventor  of  the  improved  snag-boat,  that 
has  been  used  by  the  government  so  successfully  in  removing 
the  dangerous  obstructions  to  navigation  that  had  for  years 
proved  disastrous  to  the  shipping  of  our  Western  waters. 

For  seven  years  he  lived  at  a  beautiful  place  near  Loveland 
named  Christeen ,  after  his  birth-place.  Here  he  died  on  the 
25th  of  March,  1879.  His  name  will  always  be  connected  with 
the  honest  brawn  aud  muscle  that  contributed  so  much  to  the 
building  up  of  the  city  of  Cincinnati.  Knowing  the  disadvan¬ 
tages  he  labored  under  in  his  youth,  he  contributed  liberally  at 
all  times  to  education,  and  delighted  in  private  works  of  benev¬ 
olence.  A  handsome  collection  of  books  in  the  public  school 
library,  of  which  he  was  the  donor,  is  called  the  Shield  collec¬ 
tion.  A  self-made  man,  he  died  loved  and  respected  by  all 
who  knew  him. 


GEORGE  SHIELD, 

The  late  well-known  mechanical  engineer,  was  born  in  New 
York  State  in  the  year  1810,  and  was  nine  years  of  age  when 
he  came  West.  He  learned  the  trade  of  a  machinist  with  his 
father,  Francis  Shield.  After  reaching  his  majority  he  served 
as  foreman  for  Drennan,  and  afterwards  obtained  an  interest 
in  the  establishment.  He  was  afterwards  the  mechanical  brains 
of  the  firms  of  Graham,  Wilson  &  Shield,  and  Yeatman  & 
Shield.  George  Shield  was  the  inventor  of  many  useful  me¬ 
chanical  devices  and  a  designer  of  acknowledged  ability.  He 
was  frequently  consulted  by  eminent  mechanics,  and  his  views 
and  opinions  were  held  at  a  high  premium.  He  and  his  brother, 
Edward  M.  Shield,  designed  and  built  the  machinery  of  the 
steamboat  Duke  of  Neiv  Orleans ,  that  made  the  fastest  trip  from 
Cincinnati  to  the  Crescent  City  and  return  that  has  ever  been 
recorded.  George  Shield  built  the  great  water-works  engine 


252 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


that  stands  to-day  a  splendid  monument  to  his  mechanical  genius. 
He  was  a  self-made  man,  well-posted  on  all  subjects  of  the  day, 
of  unobtrusive  habits,  possessed  of  a  large  heart  overflowing  with 
kindness  and  good-will  towards  his  fellows.  He  died  on  the 
3d  of  July,  1868,  and  was  interred  in  our  beautiful  city  of 
the  dead,  Spring  Grove,  where  he  lies  surrounded  by  his 
loved  ones. 


CALVIN  W.  STARBUCK, 

Proprietor  of  the  Cincinnati  Evening  Times ,  died  very  sud¬ 
denly,  November  15,  1870,  at  six  o’clock,  at  his  residence  on 
Eighth  Street,  west  of  Linn.  On  the  night  before  he  was  at 
the  office,  on  Third  Street,  until  ten  o’clock,  superintending  the 
making  up  of  the  weekly,  which  was  issued  on  Thursday  morn¬ 
ing.  He  prepared  the  election  tables,  corrected  some  editorial 
articles,  and  left  at  the  hour  mentioned,  in  good  spirits,  and 
seemingly  in  his  usual  health.  At  four  o’clock  lie  awakened 
his  wife,  complaining  of  a  feeling  of  suffocation,  but  was  relieved 
by  a  glass  of  water,  and  went  to  sleep  again.  At  six  he  awoke 
again  with  a  similar  complaint.  Hr.  A.  J.  Howe  was  called, 
but  arrived  just  as  he  was  breathing  his  last.  His  ailment  was 
pronounced  disease  of  the  heart. 

He  was  born  April  20,  1821,  on  Vine  Street,  near  Front, 
Cincinnati,  Ohio.  His  parents  were  in  moderate  circumstances, 
and  he  received  through  their  instrumentality  a  good  common 
school  education.  About  the  year  1836  he  commenced  learning 
the  printer’s  trade,  in  the  office  of  the  Whig ,  a  weekly  news¬ 
paper,  published  on  Main  Street,  below  Third,  by  Mr.  Conover; 
and  finished  it  at  the  office  of  E.  S.  Thoitias,  publisher  of  the  Cin¬ 
cinnati  Evening  Post.  With  the  money  saved  by  rigid  economy, 
in  1839,  the  young  printer  entered  into  partnership  with  Messrs. 
Wilmerton  and  Brown  in  the  publication  of  the  Evening  Times , 
which  was  started  as  a  two-cent  daily,  and  printed  in  an  office 


CALVIN  W.  STARBUCK. 


253 


at  the  corner  of  Third  and  Sycamore.  This  building  was  after¬ 
ward  used  by  the  Daily  Commercial.  From  this  corner  the 
Times  migrated  to  Main,  below  Pearl ;  thence  to  the  corner  of 
Pearl  and  Walnut,  where  it  found  a  temporary  lodgement  in 
the  Assembly  Building,  and  finally  permanently  located  on  the 
north  side  of  Third  Street,  where  it  remained  until  recently. 

The  partnership  with  which  the  paper  started  was  shortly 
dissolved,  and  after  that  time  Mr.  Starbuck  entirely  owned  and 
controlled  his  paper.  About  two  years  after  the  debut  of  the 
Times ,  its  proprietor  issued  a  morning  edition,  called  the  People’s 
Friend,  which  proved  unprofitable,  and  was  soon  abandoned.  In 
1847,  a  weekly  issue  was  attempted,  which  also  proved  temporarily 
unsuccessful,  and  was  dropped ;  to  be  revived  again,  however,  in 
1849,  under  more  favorable  auspices. 

The  deceased  was  married  on  the  first  day  of  January,  1845, 
to  Miss  Nancy  J.  Webster,  at  the  residence  of  her  parents  on 
Vine  Street,  near  where  he  was  born.  The  fruits  of  this  mar¬ 
riage  are  several  children,  most  of  whom  are  living. 

Mr.  Starbuck  never  spent  money  needlessly,  but  his  gener¬ 
osity  to  worthy  persons  and  worthy  objects  was  remarkable.  The 
Belief  Union  was  the  recipient  of  his  favors  to  a  large  extent,  he 
having  been  known  to  give  upon  one  occasion  four  hundred 
dollars  at  a  moment  when  its  funds  were  exhausted  and  its  needs 
most  pressing,  which  amount  was  afterwards  largely  increased 
by  a  noble  subscription,  followed  up  by  personal  effort,  which 
brought  to  that  organization,  within  six  months,  the  large  sum 
of  over  twenty-four  thousand  dollars  ($24,181).  Since  that  time, 
he  gave  that  worthy  cause  five  hundred  dollars  annually.  In 

the  words  of  one  who  always  took  an  active  interest  in  the  work: 

%/ 

u  The  Belief  Union  has  not  lacked  for  funds  since  Mr.  Star- 
buck  took  hold  of  it.  During  the  war  his  charitable  deeds  were 
numerous,  and  his  kindness  of  heart  was  universally  recognized 
All  through  his  life,  since  he  has  had  the  appliances  of  generosity 
at  his  command,  he  has  sympathized  with  the  afflicted,  and  his 


254 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


purse  has  been  always  open  to  the  needy.  He  died  intestate, 
leaving  an  estate  of  near  one-half  million  dollars.  His  age  was 
forty-nine  years,  six  months,  and  fifteen  days. 

The  following  is  from  the  pen  of  one  who  knew  him 
intimately  : 


“  Mr.  C.  W.  Starbuck,  the  proprietor,  and,  if  we  mistake 
not,  the  founder  of  the  Cincinnati  Times ,  fell  dead  in  his  tracks 
yesterday.  He  was  stricken  down  of  that  sudden,  mysterious 
heart  disease  which  has  carried  off  so  many  good  and  noble  men. 
He  was  stricken  down  with  the  harness  on  his  back.  There 
was  not  in  all  the  world  a  purer  man  or  a  more  generous  nature. 
He  was  a  philanthropist  without  fanaticism.  He  was  a  Chris¬ 
tian  without  cant.  He  was  a  gentleman  without  ostentation. 
There  was  mingled  in  his  composition  a  tenderness  and  a  firm¬ 
ness,  an  impulse  and  a  moderation  that  were  always  just,  that 
were  always  kindly.  He  had  rare  business  discernment.  He 
was  one  of  the  best  newspaper  managers  in  the  country ;  a  jour¬ 
nalist  who  abounded  in  peculiarities  and  eccentricities,  but  whose 
peculiarities  and  eccentricities  were  methodical  and  marvelously 
well  chosen.  He  knew  perfectly  well  wThat  he  had  to  do,  how 
he  had  to  do,  and  where  it  was  going  to  take  him.  Without  any 
of  those  literary  and  political  capabilities  which  are  understood 
to  bear  so  directly  upon  successful  journalism,  he  knew  perfectly 
the  mission  and  the  orbit  of  the  Times.  He  neither  deceived 
himself  or  the  public;  nor  was  he  deceived  by  any  vagaries  or 
specious  suggestions.  He  could  have  made  the  Times  a  worse 
or  a  better  paper.  He  made  it  precisely  what  was  wanted  by  its 
especial  audience.  For  many  years  he  devoted  himself  to  the 
circulation  of  its  weekly  edition.  He  never  had  an  equal  in 
this  line  of  journalism.  He  knew,  perhaps,  better  than  any  jour¬ 
nalist  in  America  the  hidden  springs  and  mysteries  which  move 
the  rural  districts.  He  had  always  something  new,  something 
striking  to  advance.  His  method  of  business  in  this  respect  was 
original  and  novel.  What  was  more,  it  was  immensely  success¬ 
ful.  He  ran  the  Weekly  Times  up  from  a  circulation  of  nothing 
to  a  circulation  of  seventy-five  thousand.  He  began  his  career 
as  an  almost  penniless  boy;  he  ended  it  as  the  richest  journalist 
in  America,  James  Gordon  Bennett  alone  excepted. 


CAL  YIN  W.  STARBUCIC. 


255 


u  He  was  a  true  man ;  he  was  an  ardent  man ;  he  was  a  wise 
man.  He  loved  his  country;  he  loved  his  family,  and  he  loved 
his  friends.  He  had  not  one  single  vice  ;  he  was  a  modern  edition 
of  Benjamin  Franklin,  a  facsimile  of  a  Puritan.  The  great  roar¬ 
ing  world  of  Christendom — the  world  that  falls  at  the  feet  of 
heroes  and  conquerors,  at  the  feet  of  orators  and  statesmen,  at 
the  feet  of  poets  and  artists — will  know  him  not,  nor  will  mark 
his  going  out.  But  there  is  a  silent  world — a  world  of  widows 
and  orphans,  a  world  of  paupers  and  poor  devils,  a  world  of 
misery — which  will  look  with  blank  amazement  at  the  announce¬ 
ment  that  he  is  dead  ;  for  he  was  the  friend  of  the  wretched — a 
friend  in  need  and  a  friend  in  deed.  In  the  hurry  and  press  of 
business  of  a  great  enterprise  and  a  great  estate,  he  never  forgot 
the  duty  which  he  had  assigned  himself  to  the  poor  and  the 
afflicted.  He  carried  this  ruling  passion  into  his  business  in 
the  most  comical  way.  He  made  people  laugh  and  cry  at  his 
charitable  oddities.  His  life  was  one  long  ebullition  of  human¬ 
ity.  He  was  the  Cheeryble  Brothers  personified  and  reduced  to 
a  single  personage. 

u  It  is  to  be  doubted  whether  he  had  an  enemy  on  earth — and 
yet  he  was  a  positive  man,  an  obstinate  man,  a  man  not  given 
to  yielding  of  any  sort.  He  had  his  own  way  always.  He  was 
so  sincere,  he  was  so  just,  he  was  so  whimsically  humane,  that 
he  bore  down  all  rivalry  and  all  ill-nature.  In  him  the  press  of 
Cincinnati  loses,  not  a  great  impulse  like  Halstead’s,  not  a  great 
vitality  like  Richard  Smith’s,  but  a  spirit  before  which  its  best 
genius  must  give  back  and  bare  its  head — a  spirit  so  childlike,  so 
Godlike  that  all  the  judgments  of  men  and  all  the  profess¬ 
ional  standards  stand  back  appalled.  It  is  impossible  to  do 
justice  to  the  work  of  a  life  which  was  all  truth,  all  sober¬ 
ness,  all  faith.  The  great  public  which  reads  these  lines 
knows  nothing  of  the  man  of  whom  they  speak.  To  the  vast 
majority  of  readers  the  name  is  only  a  name,  and  the  words  are 
only  panegyric.  But  every  one  of  them  is  written  down  with 
serious  intent,  and  there  is  no  one  of  them  that  can  do  more 
than  scanty  homage  to  the  memory  of  a  hero,  who  was  a  peer 
of  the  grandest  and  the  noblest  of  the  heroes  of  the  olden 
time.” 


256 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


Another  said,  with  a  just  appreciation  of  the  man: 

“  He  was  a  kind-hearted,  generous,  charitable  man,  wholly 

without  ostentation  or  pretense  of  any  sort,  doing  good  in  secret 

and  putting  forward  no  claim  to  public  or  private  approbation. 

During  the  rebellion  he  carried  a  musket  in  the  hundred  days’ 

service;  did  efficient  service  in  the  Covington  trenches  in  1862 

when  Cincinnati  was  threatened,  and  aided  to  support  all  the 

men  in  his  office  who  "enlisted  in  the  cause  of  his  country.  He 

%/ 

will  be  widely  missed  in  Cincinnati,  especially  by  the  poor,  to 
whose  behoof  lie  devoted  many  of  the  last  years  of  his  unas¬ 
suming  and  useful  life.” 


DR.  JAMES  MARTIN  STAUGHTON. 

The  recent  death  of  the  brilliant  and  universally  admired  ana 
respected  Professor  Landon  Hives  Longworth,  of  the  Ohio 
Medical  College,  recalls  a  very  similar  event  which  took  place 
in  the  year  1833,  when  Dr.  James  M.  Staughton,  the  professor 
of  surgery  in  the  institution,  died  at  the  early  age  of  thirty-three, 
but  not  before  he  had  achieved  a  widespread  reputation  as  one 
of  the  finest  operating  surgeons  and  teachers  of  the  period,  and 
with  the  brightest  prospects  before  him. 

Professor  Staughton  was  born  near  Philadelphia  in  the  year 
1800,  his  father  being  the  celebrated  Rev.  Wm.  Staughton,  one 
of  the  most  distinguished  Baptist  ministers  that  denomination  has 
ever  had  in  this  country.  Arriving  at  manhood  he  studied  med¬ 
icine,  graduating  at  Jefferson  Medical  College,  Philadelphia, 
with  the  highest  honors  of  the  class,  and  at  once  commenced  the 
practice  of  his  profession,  and  so  rapid  was  his  success  in  the 
formation  of  a  reputation  as  a  surgeon,  that  when  less  than  thirty 
years  of  age  he  was  offered  and  accepted  the  chair  of  surgery  in 
the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  in  this  city,  from  that  time  making 
Cincinnati  his  residence. 


DR.  JAMES  MARTIN  STAUGIITON. 


257 


Soon  after  arriving  here,  Dr.  Staughton  was  married  to  a  very 
accomplished  lady,  a  widow,  Mrs.  Louisa  Patrick,  formerly  Miss 
Warallo,  of  Birmingham,  England,  and  settled  down  in  an  ele¬ 
gant  home  on  Sixth  Street,  opposite  the  college.  Fortune 
seemed  to  smile  upon  the  young  couple,  and  within  a  very  short 
time  Dr.  Staughton  had  one  of  the  largest  and  most  lucrative 
practices  of  any  physician  here.  How  soon  the  brightest  pic¬ 
tures  ofttimes  only  hide  from  view  pending  misfortunes. 

In  1882  and  1833  Cincinnati  was  visited  by  the  cholera  in 
its  most  epidemic  form,  and  Dr.  Staughton,  true  to  the  duty  of 
a  physician,  remained  at  his  post,  and,  though  working  night 
and  day,  came  out  safely  from  the  terrible  trials  of  the  first 
year,  but  the  next,  before  he  had  time  to  recuperate,  again  un¬ 
dertaking  too  hard  a  task,  was  stricken  down  with  fever,  and 
died  August  8,  1833,  leaving  a  widow  and  three  sons,  John 
McLean,  Neville,  and  James  M. 

Mrs.  Staughton  was  for  years  at  the  head  of  the  most  popu¬ 
lar  female  seminary  of  this  city,  but,  anxious  to  give  her  children 
collegiate  education,  she  removed  to  Granville,  in  this  State, 
where  she  died  in  1853,  or  just  twenty  years  after  the  decease  of 
her  husband.  She  was  a  noble  woman,  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  Cincinnati  (Mt.  Auburn)  English  Protestant  Orphan  Asy¬ 
lum,  and,  if  we  mistake  not,  a  most  excellent  likeness  of  her  can 
still  be  seen  in  the  parlor  of  that  institution. 

The  late  Professor  M.  B.  Wright,  in  an  article  on  the  “  De¬ 
ceased  Professors  of  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,”  in  speaking 
of  Professor  Staughton  said  : 

“  Staughton  lived  long  enough  to  furnish  evidence  of  his 
sterling  ability.  It  is  a  common  remark,  the  truth  of  which  is 
too  often  confirmed,  that  the  son  lives  on  the  reputation  of  the 
father.  Staughton  was  an  exception  to  this  rule.  The  father  was 
an  eloquent  and  distinguished  divine.  The  son  felt  that  he,  too, 
must  learn  to  labor,  not  to  be  overshadowed  by  contrast.  He 
duly  estimated  himself,  and  then  went  vigorously  to  work  to  dis- 


258 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


charge  his  various  obligations.  As  a  lecturer  on  surgery  he  had 
few  equals.  If  voice,  manner,  and  matter,  in  close  and  impres¬ 
sive  harmony  constitute  eloquence,  he  was  in  truth  eloquent.” 


BELLAMY  STORER,  LL.  D. 

For  more  than  half  a  century  that  stately  form,  that  grand  face 
of  human  kindness  and  sympathy,  were  seen  among  us.  From 
his  advent  here  in  1817  till  the  day  of  his  death,  June  1,  1875, 
Judge  Bellamy  Storer  was  a  positive  quantity  in  the  business, 
moral,  social,  and  political  world  of  Cincinnati.  In  the  pride 
and  strength  of  his  manhood  he  had  selected  the  young  city  on 
the  Ohio  as  his  future  home,  and  as  time  sped  on,  and  the  place 
grew  into  a  vast  metropolis,  throbbing  with  the  pulsations  of 
commerce,  and  his  personal  successes  multiplied,  his  love 
increased,  and  he  was  heart  and  soul  in  favor  of  every  thing 
tending  to  the  advancement  of  our  material  interests.  The  his¬ 
tory  of  this  excellent  man,  able  lawyer,  and  profound  jurist,  be¬ 
fore  his  arrival  here,  can  be  easily  told. 

Born  in  Portland,  Maine,  March  26,  1796,  at  the  very  early 
age  of  thirteen  he  entered  Bowdoin  College;  after  graduating, 
studying  law  in  Boston  under  Chief-justice  Parker,  being  admit¬ 
ted  in  1817,  and  almost  immediately  afterward  coming  to  Cin- 
cinnati.  The  young  lawyer’s  success  was  phenomenal  ;  people 

9 

quickly  learned  to  know,  like,  and  have  confidence  in  him.  He 
was  upon  one  side  or  the  other  of  almost  every  important  case, 
having  as  legal  opponents  such  men  as  Tom  Corwin,  Bob  Schenck, 
Tom  Ewing,  Hocking  Hunter,  Henry  Stansbury,  James  W. 
Gazlay,  Nathaniel  Wright,  David  K.  Este,  Timothy  Walker, 
Nicholas  Longworth,  N.  G.  Pendleton,  O.  M.  Spencer,  Rufus 
King,  W.  Y.  Gholson,  and  other  distinguished  men,  and  yet 
Bellamy  Storer,  either  young  or  old,  was  the  peer  of  any  of 


BELLAMY  STOKER. 


259 


them.  He  read  incessantly,  storing  his  mind  with  vast  resources 
of  information.  Never  forgetting  a  single  thing  he  had  read, 
he  always  had  his  knowledge  at  his  fingers’  end,  being  able 
without  hesitation  to  tell  the  author,  book,  and  even  the  page 
of  any  authority  needed.  His  memory  was  simply  marvelous, 
and  rare  indeed  were  the  instances  when  any  lawyer  would  ques¬ 
tion  the  correctness  of  his  statements.  So  exact  in  this  particu¬ 
lar  was  he  known  to  be,  that  his  mere  assertion  was  taken  as 
good  law. 

Notwithstanding  his  immense  practice,  Storer  rendered  great 
service  to  the  Whig  and  Republican  parties,  with  which  he 
always  affiliated.  Although  Cincinnati  was  a  strong  Democratic 
city,  and  that  party  had  General  Robert  T.  Lytle,  one  of  its 
ablest  and  most  popular  leaders,  as  a  candidate,  yet  he  was 
defeated  for  Congress  in  1834  by  Bellamy  Storer.  After  his 
term  of  service  at  Washington,  Judge  Storer  was  a  Whig  elector 
in  1844;  a  candidate  for  Supreme  Judge  of  Ohio  in  1852,  but 
defeated;  elected  judge  of  the  Superior  Court  of  Cincinnati  in 
1854,  with  Oliver  M.  Spencer  and  W.  Y.  Gholson,  in  which  posi¬ 
tion  he  continued  by  re-election  until  he  resigned  in  1872,  from 
which  time  till  his  death  he  was  a  counselor-at-law,  the  latter 
part  of  the  time  having  associated  with  him  his  son,  Bellamy 
Storer,  Jr. 

Storer  was  an  intensely  positive  man,  had  full  confidence  in 
his  own  judgment,  and  yet  could  always  make  allowance  for 
those  who  differed  with  him.  He  knew  that  all  men  could  not 
examine  any  question  from  the  same  stand-point,  and  being  thus 
clear  in  his  views,  rarely  made  enemies  of  those  who  by  chance 
found  it  their  duty  to  be  on  the  side  opposed  to  him. 

Fully  appreciating  his  own  superiority,  and  with  a  certain 
indescribable  pride  or  haughtiness,  he  was  nevertheless  the 
friend,  counselor,  and  idol  of  the  poorer  classes;  and  such  were 
his  ideas  of  true  manhood,  had  he  been  walking  with  Henry 
Clay,  his  idol,  he  would  have  cheerfully  left  him  to  speak  a 


260 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


kind  word  to  a  laborer  upon  the  street,  whom  he  happened  to 
know. 

In  personal  appearance  Bellamy  Storer  was  grand,  tall,  and 
commanding  in  person,  with  a  large  and  well-balanced  head. 
The  late  Senator  George  E.  Pugh,  and  many  others,  often 
remarked  that  “  Judge  Storer  always  reminded  them  of  the 
portraits  of  Washington.” 

While  a  great  advocate,  ever  zealous  in  behalf  of  his  clients, 
for  whom  he  made  and  saved  numberless  fortunes,  he  was  far 
from  as  attentive  to  his  own  financial  condition,  and  we  do  not 
believe  that  he  ever  once  thought  of  trying  to  become  wealthy. 
IX  is  heart  and  purse  were  always  in  his  hand,  and  it  would  have 
been  a  moral  impossibility  for  him  to  have  refused  an  appeal  for 
charity.  Judge  Storer  was  for  many  years  a  member  and  officer 
of  Christ  Episcopal  Church  on  Fourth  Street,  in  this  city,  where 
he  was  greatly  beloved  by  all.  He  also  took  a  very  deep  inter¬ 
est  in  educational  matters,  being  one  of  the  advocates  for  the 
passage  of  the  first  school  law,  and  was  afterward,  for  many 
years,  president  of  the  board  of  education.  During  the  rebell¬ 
ion,  and  when  nearly  seventy  years  of  age,  Judge  Storer  shoul¬ 
dered  his  rifle  and  did  duty  on  the  fortifications  back  of  Cov¬ 
ington,  at  the  time  General  Kirby  Smith  was  attempting  to 
capture  Cincinnati,  and  during  that  entire  war  Judge  Storer  never 
faltered  for  an  instant  in  his  devotion  to  his  country.  He  has 
passed  away,  but  his  good  deeds  and  good  works  will  remain 
forever.  De  B. 


E.  S.  THOMAS. 


On  the  last  day  of  the  year  1828  Mr.  E.  S.  Thomas,  who  had  been 
for  years  a  resident  of  the  city  of  Baltimore,  arrived  in  Cin¬ 
cinnati  with  his  family,  consisting  of  his  wife  and  seven  chil¬ 
dren — Lewis,  Frances,  Susan,  Mary,  Martha,  Belle,  and  Calvin. 


E.  S.  THOMAS. 


261 


H  is  eldest  son,  William,  remained  in  the  East.  Mr.  Thomas, 
who  had  formerly  edited  and  published  the  Charleston  City 
Gazette ,  had  in  LSI 6  sold  his  establishment  and  taken  up  his 
residence  in  Baltimore,  investing  his  fortune  in  real  estate.  The 
decline  in  property  in  the  Monumental  City  caused  reverses, 
which  induced  Mr.  Thomas  to  again  enter  into  business,  and  he 
decided  to  seek  a  home  in  what  was  then  the  Far  West.  He 
had  made  a  tour  of  the  country  the  year  previous,  and  fixed 
upon  Cincinnati  as  the  most  desirable  location. 

The  Queen  of  the  West  then  contained  but  twenty-five  thou¬ 
sand  inhabitants,  and  rejoiced  in  but  one  daily  paper,  the  Ga¬ 
zette ,  edited  by  Charles  Hammond,  which  was  the  only  daily 
paper  in  the  West.  Mr.  Thomas,  who  had  been .  brought  up  a 
printer  in  the  office  of  his  uncle,  Isaiah  Thomas,  who  published 
the  Massachusetts  Spy  in  the  time  of  the  Revolution,  determined 
to  start  another  daily  paper  in  the  city,  which  he  did.  This 
was  called  the  Commercial  Daily  Advertiser ,  which  was  steadfast 
and  warm  in  its  advocacy  of  all  the  best  interests  of  the  city 
and  the  West.  Taking  up  his  residence  in  Cincinnati,  Mr. 
Thomas  identified  himself  with  it.  He  saw  her  future,  and  had 
intense  pride  in  what  she  was  and  what  she  was  to  be.  His 
pen  was  always  ready,  and  the  columns  of  his  paper  always 
open,  for  the  furtherance  of  any  measure  to  increase  her  re¬ 
sources  or  add  to  her  prosperity. 

In  an  article  published  in  the  Advertiser ,  November,  1829, 
eleven  months  after  his  arrival,  he  says  :  “  The  city  contains 
eight  churches,  among  them  the  Second  Presbyterian,  on  Fourth 
Street;  the  Unitarian,  corner  of  Fourth  and  Race  Streets;  the 
Baptist,  on  Sycamore  Street;. the  Third  Presbyterian,  on  Second 
Street ;  and  the  Reformed  Methodist,  on  Sixth  Street.  There 
are  four  markets  and  many  handsome  dwellings.”  He  invites 
laborers  and  mechanics  to  make  Cincinnati  their  home,  holding 
out  the  inducements  of  plenty  of  work,  cheap  board,  clothing  at 
reasonable  prices,  and  a  good  climate.  He  also  states  that  the 


262 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


year  previous,  1828,  there  was  received  for  postage  $12,150. 
In  1837  he  writes  in  his  paper : 

“  The  authors,  poets,  painters,  and  sculptors  of  the  city,  both 
in  number  and  excellence,  vie  with  any  in  the  Union.  Her 
colleges,  academies,  and  schools  in  art,  science,  and  literature  are 
numerous  and  well  conducted.  Her  free  schools  are  unequaled 
in  number  (ten),  size  and  elegance  of  the  buildings,  and  the 
number  of  spholars  attending  them.  Her  commerce  is  co¬ 
extensive  with  the  Union,  and  consists  in  part  of  exporting  the 
products  of  upwards  of  one  hundred  manufactories,  employed  in 
almost  every  branch  of  manufacture,  to  an  aggregate  amount 
exceeding  eleven  million  dollars.  The  tonnage,  built  in  1836, 
was  nearly  eight  thousand  tons.” 

On  the  lookout  for  merit  in  any  line,  Mr.  Thomas  first  saw, 
encouraged,  and  fostered  the  genius  of  Clevinger.  The  bust  of 
this  gentleman  was  the  first  attempted  by  that  artist,  and  the 
first  executed  in  the  Mississippi  Valley.  It  is  of  freestone, 
suitable  marble  not  being  procurable.  It  is  to  be  seen  at  his 
father’s  grave,  in  Mr.  Calvin  AY.  Thomas’s  lot  at  Spring  Grove 
Cemetery. 

Brackett  also  modeled  a  bust  of  Mr.  Thomas,  who  found 
him  in  a  small  room  in  the  third  story  of  a  house  in  an  obscure 
street,  and  brought  him  into  notice  in  his  paper.  Later,  in 
1844,  Mr.  Thomas  sat  to  the  late  T.  D.  Jones  for  a  bust.  Both 
of  these  are  fine  likenesses,  and  are  now  in  the  possession  of  the 
family.  Mr.  Jones  never  forgot  to  acknowledge  his  indebted¬ 
ness  to  Mr.  Thomas,  nor  did  Thomas  Buchanan  Read,  the  poet- 
painter,  whom  he  also  befriended.  He  visited  the  studios  of 
Beard,  Frankenstein,  Powers,  and  others,  situated  in  those  quaint 
little  offices  under  the  hill,  ealled  Foote’s  Row,  and  never  failed 
to  encourage  those  artists  and  notice  their  work.  John  Frank¬ 
enstein,  lately  deceased  in  New  York,  painted  a  full-length 
portrait  of  Mr.  Thomas,  which  now  hangs  on  the  walls  of  the 
Mercantile  Library,  presented  by  Mr.  Calvin  AY.  Thomas. 


E.  S.  THOMAS. 


263 


The  connection  of  Cincinnati  with  the  South  by  railroad 
was  a  project  dear  to  Mr.  Thomas’s  heart.  He  originated  and 
advocated  it  with  all  his  ability,  giving  time,  speech,  and  pen 
to  the  cause.  After  some  years,  he  sold  out  the  Commercial 
Daily  Advertiser ,  and  in  1835  began  the  publication  of  the 
Evening  Post,  which  he  continued  until  a  few  years  previous  to 
his  death,  before  which  he  published  the  “  Reminiscences  of  the 
Last  Sixty-five  Years,  with  Sketches  of  his  own  Life  and  Times,” 
a  quaint  book,  which  had  a  large  circulation.  Mr.  Thomas  died 
October,  1845,  aged  seventy-two,  and  was  buried  at  Spring 
Grove.  His  wife,  *  Annie  Thomas,  survived  him  twenty  years, 
dying  June,  1865,  aged  seventy-nine  years,  and  lies  buried  at 
his  side. 

In  the  year  1829,  Frederic  Wieeiam  Thomas,  following 
his  family,  came  to  the  "West.  He  was  a  lawyer — had  been  ad¬ 
mitted  to  practice  at  the  Baltimore  bar.  While  descending  the 
Ohio  River,  he  wrote  a  poem  called  “The  Emigrant,”  which, 
by  invitation,  he  subsequently  delivered  before  the  Cincinnati 
Lyceum,  and  afterwards  published.  He  was  a  little  over  twenty- 
one  at  that  time.  This  poem  was  followed  by  “  Clinton  Brad¬ 
shaw  ;  or,  the  Adventures  of  a  Lawyer,”  published  by  Carey,  Lee 
&  Blanchard,  Philadelphia,  and  was  called  the  best  American 
novel  of  its  time.  His  next  venture  was  “  East  and  West.” 
Then  “  Howard  Pinckney  ”  was  published.  During  the  years 
which  intervened  between  the  writing  of  these  books  he  was  a 
resident  of  Cincinnati.  He  wrote  tales  and  sketches,  fugitive 
poetry,  delivered  lectures,  and  made  political  speeches.  In  1840, 
when  General  Harrison  was  elected  President,  he  went  to  Wash¬ 
ington.  After  General  Harrison’s  death,  Mr.  Tyler  gave  him 
an  office  under  government.  He  continued  to  reside  in  the ' 
capital,  writing  little  but  an  occasional  song  or  story.  His  song 
“  ’T  is  Said  that  Absence  Conquers  Love,”  was  one  of  the  most 
popular  of  the  day.  After  some  years  he  went  on  a  lecturing 
tour  through  the  South,  confining  his  literary  efforts  to  news- 


264 


ME  MORI  A  L  ASSOC  I  A  TION. 


paper  and  magazine  articles.  In  the  year  1866  he  returned  to 
Washington,  'where,  after  a  short  illness,  he  died.  His  remains 
lie  buried  in  Spring  Grove  Cemetery. 

Lewis  Faulk  Thomas,  second  son  of  E.  S.  and  Anna 
Thomas,  was  also  a  lawyer.  He  studied  under  Judge  Este,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  Cincinnati  bar.  Eor  some  time  he  assisted 
his  father  in  editing  the  Evening  Post ,  and  was  afterward  en¬ 
gaged  on  the  Louisville  Herald.  He  resided  for  many  years  in 
St.  Louis.  He  wrote  poetry  and  sketches,  and  published  a  vol¬ 
ume  of  poems.  He  was  the  author  of  several  tragedies,  one 
of  which,  “  Cortez/’  Mr.  Forest  pronounced  the  best  American 
tragedy.  He  removed  to  Washington  City,  where  he  died  in 
1868,  in  office  under  government.  He  was  also  interred  in 
Spring  Grove  Cemetery. 

The  surviving  children  of  E.  S.  and  Anna  Thomas  are, 
Mary  Thomas,  residing  at  Washington ;  Belle  Thomas,  widow 
of  Samuel  L.  Corwine,  late  city  clerk ;  Martha  M.  Thomas, 
author  of  “  Life’s  Lessons,”  and  other  works,  and  projector  of 
the  Young  Peoples’  Magazine ,  which  she  edited  and  managed 
for  some  three  years,  and  was  often  a  contributor  to  several 
New  York  papers — also  the  Cincinnati  Commercial  and  the 
Cincinnati  daily  and  weekly  Times ;  and  our  well-known  fellow- 
citizen,  Calvin  W.  Thomas. 


EBENEZER  S.  TURPIN 

Was  born  in  Campbell  County,  Kentucky,  on  the  30th  of  May, 
1808,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  had  entered  upon  his  seventy- 
seco  ml  vear.  He  was  one  of  a  large  family  of  children,  consist- 
ing  of  five  sons  and  three  daughters.  His  father,  Philip  Turpin, 
removed  with  his  family  to  Ohio  when  he  was  but  two  years  of 
age,  and  located  upon  the  tract  of  land  known  as  the  Critten¬ 
den  survey,  in  Anderson  Township,  Hamilton  County,  where 


EBENEZER  S.  TURPIN. 


265 


he  resided  until  his  death,  the  title  of  which  has  been  in  the 
Turpin  family  for  over  one  hundred  years.  Here  he  erected  a 
house  which  was  for  a  long  time  the  home  of  the  family,  and 
which  is  still  standing,  and  is  the  residence  of  his  grandson, 
Philip,  the  son  of  the  subject  of  this  sketch.  In  1810  he  built 
a  large,  four-story  water-mill,  the  first  in  the  county,  and  which 
long  remained  the  largest  and  finest  mill  in  the  State.  It  was 
known  as  the  “  Turpin  Mill,”  and  did  an  immense  business, 
farmers  from  all  over  this  and  the  adjoining  State  of  Kentucky 
bringing  their  grain  here.  The  capacity  of  the  mill  was  at  one 
time  one  hundred  barrels  of  flour  a  day,  which  found  a  market 
as  far  south  as  New  Orleans,  whither  it  was  floated  on  flat-boats. 
The  site  of  the  mill  was  near  the  present  “  Union  Bridge.”  It 
was  rebuilt  in  1824,  and  demolished  only  as  far  back  as  1868. 

Old  Philip  Turpin  associated  his  sons  Ebenezer,  Edward, 
and  Pannel  with  him  in  the  milling  business;  and  at  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1834,  they  continued  the  business.  Prior  to 
this,  in  1831,  Ebenezer  had  married  Amanda,  the  daughter  of 
Muj  or  John  Armstrong,  of  Plainville,  in  this  county.  The 
result  of  this  union  has  been  a  large  family  of  children,  of 
whom  there  are  living  two  sons  and  five  daughters. 

After  the  death  of  his  father,  Ebenezer  and  his  brother 
Edward  continued  the  business  together  until  1868,  when  it  was 
abandoned,  owing  to  the  backwater  of  the  river  proving  an 
obstacle  to  its  further  successful  carrying  on  at  that  site.  In 
the  mean  time  Ebenezer  had  also  entered  upon  other  business 
pursuits,  in  which  he  was  in  the  main  successful,  amassing  a 
considerable  fortune. 

Being  a  man  of  great  public  spirit,  and  always  liberal  in 

helping  along  public  improvements,' Mr.  Turpin  had  often  been 

solicited  to  enter  public  life.  He  had  uniformly  refused;  but 

finally,  in  1855,  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of  personal  friends, 

he  consented  to  become  a  candidate  for  the  Legislature.  He  was 

elected  Representative  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  and  served 

18 


266 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


faithfully  during  the  session,  making  a  good  member.  He 
refused  to  re-enter  public  life  afterward,  though  he  always 
maintained  his  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  county  and  State. 

H  e  was  a  sterling  Democrat  all  through  life.  Ilis  personal 
character  was  in  the  highest  degree  honorable.  He  was  a  kind 
husband  and  father,  a  good  neighbor,  and  faithful  citizen.  His 
benevolence  was  only  equaled  by  his  honesty  and  probity  in 
business  matters,  and  many  young  men  received  their  start  in 
life  from  him.  He  had  a  kind  word  for  every  one,  was  unos¬ 
tentatious  in  his  manners,  and  a  kind  master  and  friend. 

In  the  year  1869  Mr.  Turpin  received  a  stroke  of  paralysis 
which  made  him  an  invalid  to  the  time  of  his  death,  September 
15,  1879. 


JAMES  S.  WEATHERBY 

Was  born  in  Billingsport,  Gloucester  County,  New  Jersey,  1796, 
and  came  to  Cincinnati  in  1815,  bringing  with  him  his  bride, 
who  was  formerly  Miss  Deborah  Stackhouse,  of  New  Jersey. 
Cincinnati  at  that  time  had  only  a  few  thousand  inhabitants, 
who  were  principally  settled  south  of  Fifth,  and  between  Dace 
and  Broadway. 

Previous  to  coming  here,  Mr.  AYeatherby  had  learned  the 
trade  of  saddle-making,  and,  as  there  was  no  other  regular  work¬ 
men  in  that  line  in  this  city,  he  at  once  opened  a  small  shop  and 
prospered  finely,  as  he  had  an  extensive  trade  with  very  little 
competition. 

Years  ago  we  often  listened  with  great  pleasure  in  hearing 
Air.  AYeatherby  relate  the  hardships  of  a  trip  to  the  Far  AYest,  in 
the  early  part  of  the  century.  The  distance  between  Philadel¬ 
phia  and  Pittsburg  was  either  walked,  or  made  in  an  old- 
fashioned  Conestoga  wagon,  and  from  Pittsburg  here  in  a  broad- 
horn  flat-boat  or  on  a  raft.  Sometimes  you  could  get  something 


LATE  PRESIDENT 


THE 


IYAN  FEMALE  COLLEGE  CINCINNATI . 


k 


REV.  PERLEE  B.  WILBER,  A.  M. 


267 


to  eat,  but  much  oftener  not,  if  the  provisions  you  started  with 
gave  out. 

In  1846  Mr.  Weatherby  had  immense  contracts  for  saddles 
and  harness  with  the  government,  which  was  then  at  war  with 
Mexico,  by  which  he  amassed  a  nice  fortune,  but  the  most  of  this 
was  swept  away  by  the  burning  of  his  extensive  establishment  on 
Main  Street  soon  afterwards. 

Throughout  life  Mr.  Weatherby  was  an  honest,  agreeable 
gentleman,  and  for  many  years  was  the  intimate  friend  of  Wm. 
Woodward,  Philip  Grandin,  John  C.  Avery,  Elmore  Williams, 
Wm.  Stephenson,  Fenton  Lawson,  and  others,  who  were  in  act¬ 
ive  life  and  business  in  this  city  for  many  years. 

Mr.  Weatherby  died  December,  10,  1866,  leaving  six  chil¬ 
dren — three  sons,  James  I.,  Philip  G.,  and  Chas.  S. ;  and  three 
daughters,  Mrs.  Hannah,  widow  of  James  Morgan;  Mrs.  Amelia, 
widow  of  C.  O.  Andi  'ess;  and  Miss  Maria  S.,  unmarried. 


REV.  PERLEE  B.  WILBER,  A.  M., 

AVas  born,  December  21,  1806,  in  Duchess  County,  New  York. 
The  story  of  his  childhood  and  youth  is  the  heroic  story  of  pri¬ 
vation  and  toil,  which  we  find  written  against  many  of  the 
world’s  best  and  noblest  names. 

By  what  means  his  attention  was  aroused,  and  he  made  sen¬ 
sible  of  his  need  of  an  education,  we  do  not  know;  but  the 
legend  of  the  plow-boy  following  his  plow,  on  which  is  fastened 
a  Dictionary,  he  studying  as  he  goes,  is  well  authenticated,  and 
indicated  an  early  awakening,  which  resulted  in  a  strong,  un¬ 
conquerable  resolve. 

With  this  purpose  he  entered  the  Cazenovia  Seminary,  New 
York,  then  under  charge  of  Professor  Augustus  AY.  Smith,  LL.  D. 
Bev.  J.  E.  Bobie,  editor  of  the  Buffalo  Advocate ,  in  an  editorial 
reference  to  Mr.  Wilber,  made  after  the  tidings  of  his  death  had 


268 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


reached  him,  says:  “  President  Wilber  was  our  room-mate  at  Caz- 
enovia  nearly  thirty  years  since,  and  we  have  vivid  recollections 
of  his  fine,  manly  appearance.  We  were  both  then  struggling  for 
an  education.  He  was  a  choice  spirit,  a  noble  man,  and  a  true 
friend. ”  Having  completed  his  preparatory  studies,  he  entered 
the  Wesleyan  University,  at  Middletown,  Connecticut,  Rev. 
Wilber  Fisk,  LL.  I).,  president. 

In  a  memoir  prepared  by  Bishop  I).  W.  Clark,  D.  I).,  he 
savs:  “In  a  class  of  unusual  excellence,  Mr.  Wilber  maintained 
a  high  position,  and  in  1834  graduated  with  high  honor.” 

Immediately  on  leaving  college,  he  was  employed  in  the 
White  Plains  Academy,  New  York ;  but  before  the  close  of  the 
first  year  he  was  elected  professor  of  Ancient  Languages  in  the 
Cazenovia  Seminary,  where  had  pursued  his  preparatory  studies. 
In  the  Fall  of  1838  the  presidency  of  that  institution  was  offered 
to  him ;  but,  having  previously  encouraged  the  trustees  of  the 
Buckingham  Collegiate  Institute,  in  Virginia,  that  he  would  ac¬ 
cept  the  presidency  of  that  institution,  he  did  not  feel  that  it 
would  be  honorable  to  disappoint  them. 

After  four  pleasant  years  in  the  Buckingham  Institute,  he 
accepted  the  presidency  of  the  Methodist  Female  Collegiate  In¬ 
stitute — since  the  Wesleyan  Female  College — of  Cincinnati,  O. 
Its  first  session  commenced  on  the  first  Monday  in  Septem¬ 
ber,  1842,  and  upon  that  day,  so  memorable  in  the  lives  of 
thousands  throughout  the  Mississippi  Valley,  President  Wilber 
entered  upon  the  last  and  crowning  work  of  his  life.  Into  a 
community  exacting  in  its  demands,  and  severe  in  its  judgments, 
the  stranger  came,  manly,  yet  unpretending  in  his  personal  ap¬ 
pearance;  in  his  speech  unostentatious,  and  in  a  private  room, 
and  with  a  handful  of  scholars,  he  quietly  commenced  his  labors. 

At  once  the  pupils  were  classified  and  teachers  employed  for 
each  department,  thus  laying  the  very  foundations  broad  and 
deep.  At  the  close  of  the  first  year  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
four  students  were  in  attendance.  At  the  close  of  the  second 


REV.  PERLEE  B.  WILBER,  A.  M. 


2G9 


year  ultimate  success  was  no  longer  problematical.  But  not 
alone  was  the  multitude  pleased.  The  elite  of  literary  circles 
had  been  silently  watching  the  man.  Another  year  of  earnest, 
unpretending  toil  settled  the  question.  The  teacher  was  a 
brother;  the  nobility  of  intellect  claimed  their  kinsman;  and 
from  that  hour  till  the  sadder  hour  when  they  mourned  over 
the  good  man  fallen,  their  sympathy,  their  influence,  and  their 
active  co-operation  was  his. 

He  was  a  man  of  marked  individuality,  possessing  that  iron 
firmness  and  intense  determination  which  march  straight  on  to 
the  accomplishment  of  their  ends,  over  and  through  any  obsta¬ 
cles  which  may  oppose  their  course. 

His  unostentatious  charity  deserves  to  be  remembered.  He 
gave  constantly  and  freely,  but  as  the  Bible  directs.  The  poor 
ever  found  in  him  a  sympathizing  and  constant  friend,  and 
many  students  have  been  assisted 
whom  the  world  never  knew  as  the  recipients  of  his  bounty. 
In  h  is  dealings  with  men  he  always  remembered,  in  whatever 
station  he  found  them,  that  they  were  brethren,  and,  manifesting 
this  in  his  daily  intercourse,  his  example  was  not  lost  upon  them. 

A  single  incident,  which  occurred  the  morning  of  his  death, 
upon  the  Cincinnati  Landing,  will  serve  to  illustrate  this  elo¬ 
quence  of  a  blameless  life.  One  gentleman  met  another  upon 
the  crowded  wharf,  and  repeated  those  fearful  words  which  on 
that  morning  sped  from  lip  to  lip,  and  cast  a  gloom  over  the 
whole  city,  a  Mr.  Wilber  is  dead.”  The  one  addressed  was 
about  to  express  his  astonishment,  when  a  drunken  man  near 
by,  who  had  been  for  some  time  making  his  vicinity  hideous 
with  fearful  oaths  and  bacchanalian  yells,  staggered  up,  and  said 
to  the  speaker,  “Who  did  you  say  was  dead?”  u  President 
Wilber,”  was  the  reply.  “  Well,”  exclaimed  the  now  sobered 
man,  u  if  any  one  ever  went  to  heaven,  lie  has  gone  there;” 
and  walked  quietly  away,  leaving  bystanders  to  wonder  at  the 
miraculous  change. 


by  him  to  obtain  an  education 


270 


MEMORIAL  ASSOC  I  A  TION. 


The  telegraph  wires  spread  the  news  of  his  sudden  death 
throughout  the  country,  and  former  pupils  and  family  friends 
gathered  from  long  distances  to  pay  to  his  remains  the  last 
tribute  of  affectionate  respect.  The  funeral  at  Wesley  Chapel, 
June  14,  1859,  constituted  a  grand  triumphal  scene,  if  this  ap¬ 
pellation  may  be  used  when  tears  take  the  place  of  smiles,  and 
sobs  of  grief  are  substituted  for  shouts  of  jubilant  welcome.  All 
whom  he  had  loved  on  earth  were  around  him;  men  honored  in 
Church  and  state  performed  the  last  rites  of  religion  and  affec¬ 
tion  ;  voices,  whose  music  had  been  sweeter  to  him  by  far  than 
the  melody  of  any  others,  sang  in  subdued  strains  his  requiem; 
and  the  ill-restrained  sorrow  of  multitudes  attested  an  apprecia¬ 
tion  of  his  life  and  services  which  of  itself  were  worth  the  toil  - 
of  years.  Flowers,  sanctified  by  the  tears  of  one  who  for 
twenty-three  years  had  walked  with  him  the  path  of  usefulness, 
filled  his  coffin,  and  wreathed  themselves  upon  his  lid,  a  strange, 
sweet  tribute  to  the  husband’s  abounding  love  of  the  beautiful. 
And  so  they  bore  him,  in  a  long,  long  procession,  back  through 
the  streets  he  had  so  often  threaded  in  weariness — back  past  his 
desolate  home,  on  till  they  reached  the  quiet  spot  which  he 
himself  had  selected  in  the  beautiful  cemetery  of  Spring  Grove, 
where  they  laid  him  down  to  his  silent  slumber. 

“  He  rests  from  his  labors,  and  his  works  follow  him.” 


COLONEL  ZADOCK  WILLIAMS, 

A  well-known  and  highly  respected  pioneer,  died  at  his  resi¬ 
dence  on  Mt.  Lookout,  February  16th,  in  the  eighty -third  year 
of  his  age.  Mr.  Williams  was  born  near  Connelsville,  Fayette 
County,  Pennsylvania,  July  23,  1798;  came  to  Ohio  with  his 
parents  and  grandfather,  Philip  Jones,  May  14,  1800.  During  the 
Summer  of  that  year  they  lived  in  Columbia;  in  October,  1800, 
they  moved  to  what  is  now  known  as  Mt.  Lookout,  the  present 


ARCHIBALD  WOODRUFF. 


271 


site  of  the  Cincinnati  Observatory.  In  the  mean  time  they  had 
cleared  a  portion  of  their  purchase;  had  cut  and  hewed  logs 
enough  to  build  a-  comfortable  house.  At  the  age  of  four 
years  Mr.  Williams’s  father  died,  leaving  two  younger  children, 
his  mother  marrying  again.  When  in  his  fourteenth  year  his 
mother  became  a  widow  for  the  second  time;  then,  a  mere  child, 
he  took  charge  of  his  mother’s  farm,  and  worked  to  support  and 
raise  his  younger  brothers  and  sisters  until  the  year  1821.  He 
was  married  to  Miss  Ann  Giffin,  December  20th,  who  survives 
him  in  the  eightieth  year  of  life.  From  about  1828  till  1832, 
Colonel  Williams  was  engaged  in  shipping  provisions  to  New 
Orleans.  The  balance  of  his  life  was  spent  on  his  farm.  Mr. 
Williams  lieed  a  long,  honorable,  and  useful  life,  and  his  mem¬ 
ory  will  ever  be  cherished  by  those  who  knew  his  worth  :  ever 
kind  and  obliging,  a  friend  to  all,  strictly  and  truly  illustrating 

and  obeying  the  divine  injunction  to  do  unto  others  as  you 

% 

would  have  them  do  unto  you. 


CAPTAIN  ARCHIBALD  WOODRUFF 

Was  born  in  Elizabethtown,  New  Jersey,  December  25,  1773. 
He  came  to  Cincinnati  in  1818,  and  died  there,  January  29, 
1845.  During  his  early  life  he  was  a  printer  in  New  York 
City,  and  afterward  joint  proprietor  of  one  of  the  daily  news¬ 
papers  of  that  city.  Subsequently  he  became  a  sea  captain  and 
shipping  merchant  from  Philadelphia.  In  1813  he  was  illegally 
captured  off  the  coast  of  France  by  two  French  frigates,  under 
the  orders  in  council  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte,  his  vessel  and 
cargo  burned  on  the  high  seas,  and  himself  and  son  William 
imprisoned  at  Brest.  On  application,  and  after  three  years’  delay, 
he  was  allowed  his  whole  claim  by  the  French  Government. 

In  1821,  and  for  several  years  afterward,  he  traded  from 


272 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


Cincinnati  with  New  Orleans  anti  the  West  Indies,  in  stock  and 
produce.  He  was  more  than  six  feet  in  height,  of  fine  consti¬ 
tution,  and  highly  esteemed  by  his  fellow-citizens. 


ARCHIBALD  WOODRUFF,  Jr., 

Was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Penn.,  May  10,  1799.  He  came  to 
Cincinnati  in  1818;  died  in  that  city  February  27,  1863.  He 
served  an  apprenticeship  to  the  turning  business  in  his  native 
city,  and  pursued  it  for  some  time  in  Cincinnati.  He  finally 
entered  upon  other  occupations  by  which  he  accumulated  a 
competency.  Was  never  married. 

He  was  known  as  an  industrious  and  upright  citizen,  de¬ 
votedly  attached  to  his  fami 
was  a  great  pedestrian,  having  walked  during  his  life  a  distance 
equal  to  the  circumference  of  the  earth.  He  contributed,  in 
various  ways,  to  the  growth  and  prosperity  of  this  city. 


ly  connections.  It  is  said  that  he 


M.  B.  WRIGHT,  M.  D. 

“Why,  there  is  Dr.  Wright;  how  lifelike  l”  was  many  times 
remarked  by  the  thousands  who  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  the 
hundreds  of  noble  faces  on  the  walls  of  the  Memorial  Gallery. 
It  is  probable  that  this  remark  was  owing  to  the  fact  that  Dr. 
Wright  was  not  only  one  of  our  oldest,  but,  without  a  single 
exception,  the  most  generally  known,  of  any  physician  in  Cin¬ 
cinnati.  For  more  than  forty  years  he  was  one  of  the  solid 
men  of  this  great  city,  loved  and  revered  by  all  who  knew  him, 
rich  and  poor  alike. 

Dr.  Wright  was  born  at  Pemberton,  Burlington  County, 
New  Jersey,  November  1 0,  1803.  He  commenced  the  study  of 
medicine  when  only  sixteen  years  of  age,  and  graduated  when 


M.  B.  WRIGHT ,  M.  D. 


273 


less  than  twenty.  In  1822,  the  father,  who  had  formerly  been 
very  wealthy,  in  Trenton,  New  Jersey,  removed  to  Columbus, 
Ohio,  dying  the  next  year,  leaving  a  widow  and  seven  children 
without  support.  Marmaduke  Burr  Wright,  the  young,  beard¬ 
less  physician,  assumed  the  task  of  caring  for  the  family,  and 
well  and  faithfully  did  he  perform  his  duty. 

On  the  4th  of  February,  1835,  Dr.  Wright  was  married  to 
one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  accomplished  ladies  of  the  capital 
city,  Miss  Mary  Lavinia,  daughter  of  Col.  P.  H.  Olmstead. 

In  1838,  having  been  elected  a  professor  in  the  Medical 
College  of  Ohio,  Dr.  Wright  removed  to  this  city,  which  hence¬ 
forth  was  to  be  his  home.  At  the  time  he  came  here,  or  soon 
afterwards,  the  old  college  numbered  among  its  teachers  Dr. 
John  Moorehead,  John  Eberly,  R.  D.  Mussey,  J.  P.  Kirtland, 
John  Locke,  Daniel  Ordke,  Jr.,  John  T.  Shotwell,  L.  M. 
Lawson,  John  Bell,  and  Daniel  Oliver — verily  a  congregation  of 
intellectual  giants. 

Dr.  Wright  was  kind  to  the  poor,  attentive  to  his  patients, 
whether  he  would  ever  get  his  pay  or  not;  loved  his  family  and 
friends  with  unfaltering  devotion ;  was  ever  ready  to  aid  the 
student  or  young  physician  who  needed  advice;  was  pleasant  and 
agreeable  to  other  physicians ;  but  woe  unto  the  man  who  drew 
the  sword  and  sent  forth  a  challenge  for  debate !  M.  B.  Wright 
never  failed  to  respond.  He  could  not  have  done  so  if  he  would ; 
and  we  do  not  now  remember  a  single  instance  in  which  he  was 
ever  worsted.  Sometimes  these  intellectual  combats  were  of  the 
most  bitter  and  acrimonious  character — -just  like  lawyers  have  in 
court — but  they  never  left  wounds  too  deep  to  be  healed  ;  and, 
in  later  years,  Dr.  Wright  and  his  early  contestants  enjoyed 
many  a  hearty  laugh  over  their  early-time  fights,  and  “  the  ways 
that  were  dark  and  tricks  that  were  vain,”  resorted  to  to  bring 
their  respective  colleges  out  on  top.  Prof.  Wright  was  thor¬ 
oughly  scholarly,  an  eloquent  and  impressive  lecturer,  careful 
in  the  examination  of  a  case;  but  when  his  mind  was  once 


274 


MEMORIAL  ASSOCIATION. 


made  up  as  to  the  nature  of  a  disease,  his  treatment  was 
extraordinarily  rapid  and  successful. 

He  was  a  fine  writer,  and  as  such  was  the  author  of  many 
valuable  contributions  to  the  medical  literature  of  his  times;, 

i 

every  article  of  which  is  still  recognized  as  authority  on  the 
subject  of  which  it  treats. 

In  1879  the  labors  of  this  great  physician  closed,  and  he 
now  rests  from  all  care  in  Spring  Grove  Cemetery — a  widow, 
daughter,  four  sons,  and  a  countless  number  of  friends  remem¬ 
bering,  with  most  cherished  regard,  the  kind  heart  which  has 
forever  ceased  its  beatings.  De  B. 


MICHAEL  ZIEGLER 

Was  born  in  Bavaria,  April  13,  1826;  came  to  Cincinnati  with 
his  parents  in  1831.  He  entered  the  pork-packing  business 
with  his  father-in-law,  Henry  Shafer,  in  1856,  in  which  he  con¬ 
tinued  until  the  time  of  his  death.  He  was  an  old  member  of 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce.  Honesty,  industry,  and  a  blameless 
record,  both  public  and  private,  are  a  few  of  his  characteristics. 
Strict  in  his  business  principles,  hating  avariciousness,  he  was 
generous  to  all.  He  died  in  Cincinnati,  January  20,  1878. 


✓ 


^  in  D  6 


PAGE. 

Association’,  Memorial,  Organi¬ 
zation  of, .  15 

Names  of  General  Commit¬ 
tee,  .  16 

List  of  Regular  Committees,  19 

Proceedings  of, . 15-35 

Contributors  to  Funds  of,  .  30 

Ladies'  Committee  of,  .  .  .  31 

Programme  of  Services  at 

Music  Hall, .  32 

Services  at  Music  Hall,  .  .  59 

Permanent  Organization  of,  36 
Permanent  Organization, 
Address  of  Colonel  A.  E. 


Jones  on, .  82 

Permanent  Organization, 

Officers, .  36 


Permanent  Organization, 

Constitution  and  By-laws,  37 
Allen,  Marston,  Sketch  of,  .  .  .  97 


PAGE. 

Constitution  of  Permanent  Or¬ 
ganization,  .  37 

Cist,  L.  C.,  Poem  of, .  81 

Correspondence, .  89 

Cox.  General  J.  I).,  Letter  of,  .  89 

Cliallen,  James  R.,  Sketch  of 

(with  Portrait), . 12S 

Clark,  Bishop  D.  W.,  Sketch  of,  134 

Crossman,  Wm,,  Sketch  of,  .  .  137 
Crossman,  Jane  V.,  Sketch  of,  .  138 
Culbertson,  Captain  John  C., 

Sketch  of, . 138 

Dennison,  Governor  W.,  Let¬ 
ters  of, . 89-91 

Davis,  Mrs.  Ann,  Sketch  of,  .  •  140 
Draper,  Joseph,  Sketch  of,  .  .  .  142 

Ernst,  A.  H.,  Sketch  of, .  .  .  .  144 

Este,  David  Iv.,  Sketch  of,  .  .  .  145 


Biographical  Sketches,.  ...  97 

Bailey,  Micajah,  Sketch  of  .  99 

Bartel,  John,  Sketch  of,  ...  .  101 
Baum,  Martin,  Sketch  of,  .  .  .  103 
Bloss,  G.  M.  D.,  Sketch  of, .  .  .  105 
Bod  man,  F.,  Sketch  of,  ...  .  107 
Burnet,  Isaac  G.,  Sketch  of,  .  .  110 
Butler,  Jos.  C.,  Sketch  of,  .  .  .  Ill 
Burgoyne,  Judge,  Sketch  of,  .  .  125 


Committee  of  the  Association, 

General, .  16 

Ladies .  31 

Regular, .  19 

Contributors,  Names  of,  to  the 

Association, .  30 


Fosdick,  Samuel,  Letter  of,  .  •  93 

Forbus,  Rev.  John  F.,  Sketch  of,  146 

Graham,  George,  Life  of,  .  .  .  1 

Funeral  Services, .  8 

Proceedings  of  Public  Bodies 


on  Death  of, .  11 

Memorial  Services  of,  at  Mu¬ 
sic  Hall, .  59 

Sketch  of,  by  the  Hon.  A.  F. 

Perry, .  64 

Greene,  W.,  Letter  of, .  90 

Goshorn,  A.  T  ,  Letter  of,  .  .  .  90 

Gallagher,  W.  D.,  Letter  of,  .  .  94 

Gest,  Joseph,  Sketch  of  (with 

Portrait), . 14S 


276 


INDEX. 


PAGE. 


Gest,  Rebekali,  Sketch  of  (with 

Portrait), . 153 

Gibson,  Mrs.  Peter,  Sketch  of,  .  156 

Harrison,  Hon.  Benjamin,  Let¬ 
ter  of,  .  92 


Heinsliimer,  Jos.  H.,  Sketch  of,.  158 
Herron,  Joseph,  Sketch  of, .  .  .  159 
'S*  Hinkle,  Philip,  Sketch  of,  .  .  .  161 
x  Hopple,  Caspar,  Sketch  of,.  .  .  166 


Introduction, .  v 

Invocation.  Prayer  by  Rev.  Dr. 

Walden, .  62 


Jones,  Col.  A.  E,,  Address  of  on 

Permanent  Organization,  82 
Authorized  to  publish  Book,  36 
Jones,  Col.  Frederick  C.,  Sketch 

of  (with  Portrait),  ....  169 
Jones,  John  D.,  Sketch  of,  .  .  .  183 
Jones,  Mrs.  John  D.,  Sketch  of,.  186 
Johnston,  George  W.  C.,  Sketch 

of, . .  .  188 

Jonas,  Hon.  Joseph,  Sketch  of,  .  190 

Keck,  Hon.  George,  Sketch  of,  .  190 
Kent,  Luke,  Sketch  of, . 193 

Lii.ientiial,  Rev.  Dr.,  Address 

of,  .  . .  74 

Lafferty,  Joseph,  Sketch  of,  .  .  .  193 

Latta,  A.  B.,  Sketch  of, . 195 

Law,  Dr.  John  S.,  Sketch  of,  .  .  198 
Lawson,  Fenton,  Sketch  of,  .  .  .  202 

Memorial  Association,  Organi¬ 
zation  of, .  15 

Names  of  General  Committee 

of, .  16 

Names  of  Regular  Commit¬ 
tees,  .  19 

Proceedings  of, . 15-35 

Ladies’  Committee  of,  .  .  .  31 

Contributors  to  Funds  of,  .  .  30 

Programme  for  Services  at 
Music  Hall, .  32 


PAGE. 

Memorial  Association,  Treasur¬ 
er’s  Report, .  35 

Permanent  Organization  of, .  36 

Constitution  of, .  37 

Music  Hall,  Portrait  Gallery  at,  41-58 
Memorial  Services  at,  .  .  .  59 

Matthews,  Judge  Stanley,  Ad¬ 
dress  of, .  78 

McAlpin,  Andrew,  Sketch  of,  .  .  204 
McMakin,  Gen.  John,  Sketch  of,  207 
Meader,  Daniel  F.,  Sketch  of,  .  .  209 
Mendenhall,  Dr  Geo  ,  Sketch  of  211 
Moore,  Col.  R.  M.,  Sketch  of  wvitli 

Portrait) . 213 

Neff,  Jeter.  Sketch  of,  ....  218 
Neff,  George  W.,  Sketch  of, .  .  .  222 
Netter,  Jacob  and  Amelia.  Sketch 

of . 224 

Organization  of  Memorial  Asso¬ 
ciation,  . .  .  15 

Of  Permanent  Association,  .  36 

Of  Permanent  Association, 
Address  of  Col.  A.  E. 


Jones, .  82 

Officers,  Names  of, .  36 


Preface  Publishers .  iii 

Proceedings  of  Memorial  Associa¬ 
tion,  .  15-35 

Programme  for  Services  at  Music 
Hall . 


Permanent  Organization,  .  .  . 


32 


36 


Portraits,  List  of . 

Perry,  Lion  A.  C.,  Address  of. 

Poem  of  L.  J.  Cist, - . 

Pendleton,  Hon  G.  H  ,  Letter  c 
Parker,  Mason  I)..  Sketch  of,  . 
Parry,  Gen  A.  C.,  Sketch  of.  . 


41 


f, 


58 

64 

81 

91 

226 

228 


Ruffin,  Maj.  Wm.,  Sketch  of, 
Riddle,  Col.  John,  Sketch  of,  . 
Ross.  Joseph  S.,  Sketch  of,  .  . 


244 

231 

240 


Scholars,  List  of  the  Chorus.  .  60 

Solo  Singers,  List  of, .  62 


4-E  RRATA-4* 


On  page  74,  ninth  line,  for  “Miss  Ruth  Jones,”  read  “Miss 
Annie  B.  Norton.” 

On  page  108  last  line,  for  “Nothing  all,  sir,”  read  “Nothing  at 
all,  sir.” 

On  page  215,  seventeenth  line,  for  “Rees  E.  Price,”  read 
“James  A.  Price.” 

On  page  217,  twenty-second  line,  for  “four  regiments”  read 
“First  Regiment.” 


INDEX. 


277 


PAGE. 

Smith,  S.  S.,  Letter  of, .  92 

Sliafer,  George  Henry,  Sketch 

of, . 24G 

Sliafer,  Henry,  Sketch  of, .  .  .  .  247 
...  Shafer,  Rebecca,  Sketch  of,  .  .  .  247 
Shield,  Francis,  Sketch  of,  .  .  .  247 
Shield,  Maria,  Sketch  of,  ...  .  249 
Shield,  Edward  Moore,  Sketch 

of, . 250 

Shield,  George,  Sketch  of, .  .  .  .  251 

Treasurer,  Report  of, .  34 

Taft,  Hon.  A.,  Letter  of,  ...  .  90 

Thomas,  E.  S.,  Sketch  of, .  .  .  .  2G0 
Thomas,  Frederick  William, 

Sketch  of,  ......  .  263 


PAGE. 

Thomas,  Lewis  Faulk,  Sketch  of,  2G4 
Turpin,  Ebenezer  S.,  Sketch  of, .  2G4 

Walden,  Rev.  Dr.,  Invocation,  G2 
Ward,  Gen.  Durbin,  Address  of,  70 
Wiley,  Bishop  I.  W.,  Letter  of,  .  91 
Weatherby,  Jas  S.,  Sketch  of,  .  26G 
Wilber,  Rev.  Perlee  B.,  Sketch  of,  2G7 
Williams,  Col.  Zadoc,  Sketch  of,  270 
Woodruff,  Captain  Archibald, 

Sketch  of, . 271 

Woodruff,  Archibald,  Jr.,  Sketch 

of, . 272 

Wright,  Dr.  M.  B.,  Sketch  of,  .  272 

Zeigler,  Michael,  Sketch  of, 


.  274 


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